Cuba worker describes hellish conditions, appeals to US workers to force an end to embargo in cuba
María, a 32-year-old worker and single mother in Matanzas, says the humanitarian situation in cuba has plunged into catastrophe in the three weeks after Donald Trump’s January 29 executive order that declared the island a “national security threat” and threatened tariffs on any nation supplying it with oil. She calls the consequences “asphyxiating” and appeals to US workers to force an end to the embargo.
Executive order and immediate fallout
María’s account places the sharpest deterioration in the three weeks following the January 29 executive order. Washington has, she says, effectively turned the long-standing embargo into an overt attempt to starve the population into submission. US officials are discussing allowing only “small quantities” of fuel to prevent total infrastructure collapse, while the White House demanded last week “very dramatic changes. ” At the same time, the US Supreme Court is considering cases demanding Havana pay billions in compensation to US corporations like ExxonMobil for key ports, plantations and other infrastructure expropriated six decades ago.
Daily life in Cuba now
Basic necessities have vanished, María says. Cooking gas has disappeared completely; many people now rely on increasingly expensive charcoal or even broken furniture for firewood. Electrical outages last between 20 and 30 hours, with power available for only two hours or less. Running water can be unavailable for days at a time. The Cuban peso is totally devalued, with 1 USD equaling 500 pesos. Her two jobs as an editor and librarian barely cover the cost of a carton of eggs. The black market for imported medicines charges unaffordable prices.
Hunger, filth, and need
Another citizen summed up the situation with three words: “Hunger, filth, and need. ” That testimony notes shortages, deterioration of public services and the constant rise in prices, and ties those pressures to increased pressure from the United States aimed at forcing a regime change. Garbage accumulates in the streets, hospitals lack medications, prolonged blackouts continue, and fuel shortages paralyze public transport and other basic services.
Police presence and public anger
Those who spoke on the street questioned why buses and garbage collection stop for lack of fuel while police continue to operate. “There is no oil to collect the garbage, there is none for the hospitals, there is no oil for the work buses, but there is oil for the PNR, ” one woman said in a widely shared video. Another voice asked why police “rise and mount without asking, they're treating us like the narcos in Mexico, ” referring to security operations and invoking the fall of 'El Mencho, ' leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
Prices, salaries and shortages
Basic goods have soared in price: a tube of toothpaste can reach 600 Cuban pesos (CUP) and a package of salt can cost up to 700 CUP. In a country where the average state salary hovers around 4, 000 to 5, 000 CUP per month, those prices are difficult to manage for workers and retirees. Long lines and empty shelves have become common, and purchasing power is eroding rapidly.
Voices of despair and uncertainty
A young Cuban identified as @yissi_glez shared a tearful video that generated numerous reactions of support and debate inside and outside the island. “I have never posted a video like this, but you really should make a decision about what you are going to do with Cuba, ” she begins, visibly affected, and describes the situation as “inhuman” because of the uncertainty about the country's future. “Cuba is in a bad situation, everything is on hold. No one knows what to expect. We don't know if things will continue the same, if it will come to an end, or if they will remove those people, ” she says. “If things are bad and are going to stay bad, you look for options and solutions. But you don’t know anything. Uncertainty is the worst. ” She adds: “They should just make a decision and say whether they are going to step in and do it, or if they are not going and will just stay as is... but at least let us know what to expect. ”
María ties those sentiments to long-term political and economic failures. “I am 32 years old. I belong to a generation that went to university with enthusiasm and professional ambitions. The Cuban people are tired of being censored, without freedom of expression, afraid to speak freely about the fact that we live in a failed state, ” she says. She adds that “Our friends and colleagues are political prisoners for peacefully disagreeing. The country has been on the road to disaster for years. This did not start with Trump, although it has worsened under him. … Nobody wants to stay here, ” and she notes that the sector of society that still trusts in the government is tiny and unrepresentative.
María describes the visible social toll: “There are hardly any cars on the streets, the country is at a standstill, inflation is skyrocketing. This place is hell. ” For her infant daughter, even watching cartoons has become a “luxury for which she cries daily, ” and toys or clothes are “unaffordable for the average citizen. ” She confirms widespread hunger, including among children: most families cannot afford three meals a day and survive on low-quality food with almost no protein. Often a child’s only breakfast is an instant soft drink, as even bread has become scarce.
The discussion in these testimonies reaches a final, unresolved note about malnutrition. The report from one interlocutor breaks off mid-sentence: “This malnutrition is com” — unclear in the provided context.
These accounts, from multiple people and videos, describe shortages, fuel disruptions, court cases over past expropriations, sharp price rises, prolonged blackouts and a pervasive uncertainty that residents say makes everyday survival harder and planning for the future nearly impossible.
Originally from Cuba but living in Spain, one of those speaking on the record said she studied Social Communication at the University of Havana and later graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Valencia; she said she is currently part of an editorial team as an editor in the Entertainment section.
All of the above details come from on-the-ground testimonies and circulating videos that describe deepening shortages, public service breakdowns and widespread anxiety about what will happen next in cuba.
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