A 28-year-old woman from the municipality of Artemisa in Cuba has taken to video to express her frustration after enduring more than five days without electricity following the explosion of a transformer in her neighborhood.
Gelsys Blanco, a medical school graduate who is not practicing her profession, recounted that on Saturday night, a transformer was destroyed by an explosion in her area. Despite sending the initial reports to the Artemisa Electric Company on Sunday, there has been no response.
"We find ourselves on a long waiting list for a transformer. There are people who have been waiting for months without electricity, without water, unable to work," she states in the video.
Without power, Gelsys is unable to make the sweets that help supplement her income or preserve food. "How do I work now without electricity? How do I maintain my home? What am I supposed to do?" she asks, visibly exhausted.
Corruption Amidst Scarcity
The most shocking part of her complaint is the corruption linked to the scarcity of transformers: a middleman reportedly informed neighborhood residents that, for 100,000 Cuban pesos, a transformer "might become available."
Gelsys challenges this with a question that encapsulates the situation: "How is someone who earns 2,500 pesos a month supposed to come up with 100,000 Cuban pesos?"
As a doctor, she shared that her first paycheck at the clinic was 5,060 pesos, which she spent on three tubes of ham and a pack of chicken. "We're like animals, cooking with charcoal," she remarks at another point in the video.
Widespread Power Outages
The situation in Artemisa is not an isolated case. In Güines, residents have also been without power for over a week following another transformer explosion, with three unsuccessful repair attempts and no replacement equipment available.
In that area, the same corrupt scheme was documented: 100,000 pesos for a transformer to "appear." In Granma, the electric company acknowledged at least 14 broken transformers as of June 10, with circuits experiencing over 45 consecutive hours without service.
This pattern repeats across the island: local breakdowns turn into indefinite blackouts due to a lack of spare parts, adding another layer of darkness to the already critical national electricity crisis.
A Deteriorating Energy Crisis
On June 10, Cuba was generating only a third of the electricity it needed, with an anticipated shortfall of over 2,000 MW at night.
Gelsys also dismisses the official narrative blaming the U.S. embargo for the crisis. "I'm tired of the leaders of this country not solving problems and blaming imperialism," she insists, reminding that blackouts existed before the Trump administration sanctions.
She concludes her video with a sentiment shared by millions of Cubans: "This is not life, this is survival."
Understanding Cuba's Power Crisis
Why is there a shortage of transformers in Cuba?
The shortage is mainly due to insufficient spare parts and corruption, with reports of intermediaries demanding large sums of money for replacement transformers.
How does the power crisis affect daily life in Cuba?
The power crisis disrupts daily life by making it difficult to preserve food, run businesses, and maintain basic living conditions, forcing many into survival mode.
What are the official reasons given for Cuba's electrical issues?
Cuban officials often attribute the electrical issues to the U.S. embargo, although many argue that the problems predate the recent sanctions.