A poignant incident has once again highlighted the severe food crisis affecting the Cuban people. On Saturday, in the bustling heart of Santiago de Cuba, several individuals were witnessed gathering tomato paste from the pavement after it had spilled onto the street.
This unsettling event unfolded on Yarayó Street, where two women, three men, and a young boy didn't hesitate to scoop up the spilled paste with their bare hands, placing it into containers and plastic bags. None of them seemed concerned about the potential danger of being struck by passing cars and motorcycles.
“The dire circumstances have forced Cubans to salvage even the slightest spill for use in their daily meals,” remarked independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta, who shared the footage on Facebook. Increasingly frequent, these distressing scenes starkly illustrate the escalating shortages across the nation.
Earlier this week, in another part of Santiago de Cuba, residents were seen collecting pieces of yucca from the roadside in the Altamira neighborhood. In September, a similar occurrence took place in Havana when people gathered ground meat off the floor following a mishap at a market.
Back in July, a shocking video surfaced showing elderly individuals in Santiago de Cuba gathering spilled powdered milk from the street, scooping it into plastic bags. Whether it’s oil, rice, beans, eggs, or flour, any food item accidentally dropped is quickly gathered by locals who prioritize filling their plates over concerns of hygiene or quality, driven by the urgent need to ease their daily hunger.