By Javier Herrera
HAVANA TIMES – The past few weeks in Cuba have led the people to extremes of misery rarely seen or experienced before in the nation. Constant blackouts of up to 20 hours, widespread shortages with even rationed bread rolls missing, have pushed the population to the brink of exasperation.
Specifically, the lack of bread, milk, and other foods, as well as the lack of electricity, have hit the eastern part of the country particularly hard, affecting any city or town away from Havana. People in Santiago de Cuba, tired of oppression, took to the streets this Sunday, March 17, 2024.
On Sunday afternoon, chanting “Electricity and food,” the protesters in Santiago marched peacefully through the streets of their rebellious city. Among the shouts was the slogan “Patria y Vida” (“Homeland and Life”) could occasionally be heard, while the police, lacking superior orders, limited themselves to guarding the march, taking videos and notes. The head of the Communist Party of the province took refuge on a rooftop as the people sought her out to voice their complaints.
Strangely, the Cuban regime did not dare to unleash repression at first instance and, contrary to its customary behavior, reflected the protests in its political medium, CubaDebate, making it clear the peaceful nature of the demonstrations.
Apparently, according to the voice of the official media, the demonstration in Santiago was dismantled after the electricity was restored and trucks carrying food, including milk and items distributed through the ration book, arrived in a hurry. Meanwhile, a plane was loaded with food in Havana to distribute in the eastern provinces.
But Santiago de Cuba is not alone in misery, and soon other towns and cities in the region joined in
