The Cuban capital woke up on Wednesday (4) to another general blackout, the third to hit the island's population in almost two months. Brasil de Fato's correspondent in Havana, Gabriel Vera Lopes, reports that despite the apparent climate of normality, schools and state sectors were closed on Wednesday.
"You can see small businesses and street vendors operating as usual. However, when you talk to people, you realize how tired they are," says Gabriel Vera Lopes.
Roque Lazo, from the Operational Secretariat of the Continental Articulation of Social Movements (ALBA), blames the previous administration of Republican Donald Trump (2017-2021) for the situation currently faced by the Cuban population.
For four years, the Republican government, now re-elected, adopted a series of "maximum pressure" measures against Cuba, including attempts to prevent the arrival of fuel in the country, which directly affects the electricity sector.
"Particularly since 2018 and especially in 2019 and already in 2020, amid the pandemic, he has tried by all means to prevent the arrival of fuel in Cuba, illegally sanctioning ships carrying oil to Cuba, because he had no right to do so. At the same time, the effect of the sanctions on Venezuela, which is one of the main suppliers of fuel to Cuba, has also had an impact."
The lack of energy has been constant, and since the first national blackout on October 18, the situation has worsened. The hurricanes that hit the country aggravated the situation, disrupting the population's daily lives, "especially among the youngest," says the Brasil de Fato correspondent.
"When you talk to them, you can see they are tired but angry about the situation. We're going to have to analyze how this anger and tiredness progresses. It's still very early; [the blackout] has been going on for a few hours, but if it lasts several days, like last time, we could see protest situations."
"There is despair on the part of the people because this is a country that, in six weeks, has seen its national electricity system collapse for the third time," says Roque Lazo.
"This is the current issue, and it's a dangerous moment. Because it's the dream scenario, the scenario designed by the enemies of the Revolution to provoke social upheaval. A country in which people are disappointed and legitimately dissatisfied with the prolonged effects of this crisis. It's exceptionally fertile ground, dreamed up to provoke some kind of social upheaval that will end the Revolution."
