A video circulating on Instagram captures the stark reality faced by Cubans amid the ongoing power crisis. The clip shows several men manually propelling a fairground ride in Cuba as a crowd looks on, highlighting the severe impact of the electrical shortage on everyday life.
Shared by the user @elmas_psao, the video has garnered 502,000 views. As the scene unfolds, the narrator provides a live commentary, pointing out how the ride operators give the equipment a push. "The motor is the guy in red at the back, he's the real engine," he quips, referring to the young man on the metal structure who uses his body to sway and move the ride with children aboard.
"Just when you think you've seen it all, these folks astonish you like this," the narrator adds. The reason for this unusual effort is summed up in one candid sentence: "There's no power, so I'm pushing it by hand."
Another observer remarks, "Nowhere else in the world have you seen anything like this." Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. In August, during a local festival in Cienfuegos, authorities prohibited private operators from connecting their mechanical rides to the power grid. This forced adults to manually spin a small Ferris wheel with children seated, as the province faced an 89 MW power generation deficit and blackouts lasting between 50 and 60 continuous hours.
Darián Rodríguez Abreu took to Facebook to criticize the situation, stating, "The government makes life increasingly difficult, forbidding connections to the electrical supply for the rides that private entrepreneurs bring, so children can have at least some fun, forcing them to operate manually."
The video also touches on the pricing set by these operators: "a thousand pesos per ride" and "8,000 pesos for samples," fees imposed to sustain a business now reliant on physical labor rather than electricity.
The narrator captures the absurdity with one final remark: "Just when you think you've seen it all, they astonish you like this." These images are set against a backdrop of an unprecedented structural power crisis. The National Electric System has experienced at least seven total collapses in 2026, with generation deficits at times exceeding 2,300 MW. The root causes are structural: outdated thermoelectric plants, lack of maintenance, and fuel shortages, all stemming from decades of poor management by the regime.
These power outages have affected up to 70% of the island simultaneously during peak hours, with some provinces enduring up to three consecutive days of blackouts.
Understanding Cuba's Power Crisis
What causes the power outages in Cuba?
The power outages in Cuba are largely due to structural issues such as outdated thermoelectric plants, inadequate maintenance, and fuel shortages, resulting from decades of mismanagement by the regime.
How are private operators affected by the power crisis?
Private operators, or 'cuentapropistas,' are unable to connect their rides to the power grid, forcing them to rely on manual labor to operate their attractions, affecting their business sustainability.
What are the typical blackout durations in Cuba?
Blackouts in Cuba can last up to 60 consecutive hours, with some provinces experiencing power cuts for up to three days in a row.