In response to the recent total shutdown of Cuba’s National Electric System, Cuban writer and activist Yasser Sosa Tamayo shared a poignant reflection that resonated with many of his fellow citizens: "I no longer know what's more exhausting: the darkness or having to be constantly prepared for it."
This collapse, marking the eighth nationwide blackout in Cuba during 2026, occurred on Friday at 1:57 PM. It was triggered by the successive failure of two 220 kV transmission lines originating in Matanzas—the Matanzas-Cienfuegos and the Matanzas-Santa Clara—leaving about nine million people across the island without electricity.
Through a post on his Facebook page, Sosa Tamayo expressed a sentiment of collective exhaustion that extended beyond the blackout itself: "In Cuba, even the everyday requires an emergency plan."
A Call for Change Amid Crisis
The writer from Santiago highlighted a distinction many Cubans immediately recognized: "Adapting to what should not require adaptation. One thing is to go through a crisis; another is to make crisis the way a country organizes its life."
He also dismissed the regime's calls for patience and resilience with a straightforward remark: "We've been asked for patience. We've been asked for resilience. We've been asked to understand. But there comes a time when so many explanations no longer shed any light."
Sosa Tamayo concluded with a statement that encapsulated the feelings of many: "Cubans don’t need to learn to live better in darkness. We need to stop living in darkness."
Public Frustration and Political Implications
The comments on his post echoed the same frustration. "It's a trauma now. A constant fear of food spoiling, not being able to cook, not being able to sleep," wrote one user.
Another commenter pointed directly to the disparity between the government and the people: "They easily tell us to endure, but since they lack nothing, it's easy for them to ask us to resist."
A third respondent described the persistent anxiety even when there is power: "Even when we have the electricity, we're anxious thinking it could go out at any moment."
Several comments articulated the political dimension of the issue. "Until all Cubans understand that freedom is non-negotiable, that we cannot live creatively resisting when we don't even have a plate of food, while they have everything, they will continue to ask for resistance."
One user summed up the sentiment with a stark metaphor: "This is driving ordinary people crazy; you can't plan anything, you're living improvising... it feels like you're being crushed like a cockroach, losing a leg, but you keep crawling to the grave."
Historical Context of Sosa Tamayo's Observations
Sosa Tamayo has frequently documented the energy crisis from this perspective. At the end of August, he stated that the blackouts also steal time from life and argued that "the blackout not only interrupts electricity. It interrupts life." In July, he claimed that the true blackout in Cuba is the loss of the ability to be outraged by the poverty.
Understanding Cuba's Power Crisis
What caused the recent blackout in Cuba?
The recent blackout was caused by the failure of two 220 kV transmission lines from Matanzas, affecting nearly nine million people across the island.
How has the Cuban government responded to the power outages?
The Cuban government has called for patience and resilience from its citizens, but many feel these requests are insufficient and ignore the root causes of the crisis.
What is Yasser Sosa Tamayo's stance on the issue?
Yasser Sosa Tamayo criticizes the normalization of crisis conditions in Cuba and emphasizes the need for systemic change, arguing against living in perpetual darkness.