Without light and without hope, the people of Manzanillo live as in the time of the caverns

Manzanillo (Granma)/“It seems that we would have become accustomed to everything, like the blackout In the market some maltrech bananas.

“Before six o’clock they had already removed the light, so I had to turn on the stove to make coffee and soften chados. But life in a house is not just cooking. You have to wash and iron clothes and even see a novelty .

Yordanki faces the same difficulties in his daily life, although he must also worry about his family. “Everything has become a problem,” he says. “In the house and on the street we walk like zombies, thinking what to cook, with what … this is an abuse. Even if I put my boys to study early, time is not enough And less in the time of evidence.

The blackouts have long ceased to be an event, becoming one of the most important daily problems for the Cuban people. The consequences are being catastrophic for industry and economy, whose growth is unfeasible without energy; But also for families, the most fragile link in society.

“It’s no longer about whether it’s the Felton or Guiteras. Yesterday we were without light from eight in the morning until today, almost five o’clock. It is too much,” Mariela protests. The Matancera thermoelectric plant, the unity of greatest capacity on the island, came out on Sunday morning of the national electrical system in a “unforeseen” way, He synchronized again at night This Monday, before 8 p.m., he suffered a breakdown again. “One does not leave a shock. My daughter lives in the United States and my fear is that when there is a blackout, fixed phones or mobile phones do not work, or internet, so you can’t communicate or with relatives. Moreover, they fall The television signs and even the Radio Granma, so there is no where to inform yourself. ”

“Manzanillo is unrecognizable,” says the night watchman of a company. “The city is completely dark. You only see some public bulbs at the beginning of the boardwalk and a few other in some streets. That, and in a couple of private businesses. People no longer go out. They almost even feel in front of their homes out of fear To assault or throw stones.

Except for a few who can relieve their nights with electric plants provided by family members abroad, the people live lives as in the time of the caverns. Among gloom, February promises to be a long, too long month, although 2025 is not a leap year.