As Holguín suffers through crippling blackouts that stretch over 15 hours daily, the response from the local Electric Company has sparked outrage. Their latest initiative was a "volunteer work" event, where employees were tasked with sorting screws, a decision that has left residents bewildered as they demand real solutions to Cuba's worst energy crisis.
On Saturday, the state-run company announced via social media, "Today, a volunteer work session is underway at PSFV CORUA involving the sorting of screws. This includes workers from the Security and Protection Syndicate Section of Holguín Electric Company." Just two hours earlier, they had posted on Facebook about the "block rotation schedule for November 16, 2024," warning of a "day with severe service disruptions," as forecasted by the National Electric Union (UNE).
The notice informed that Blocks B3 and B4 would endure 15-hour power outages on Saturday, while Blocks B1 and B2 would face nine-hour interruptions. The stark contrast between the dire situation, with families receiving electricity for only nine to 15 hours a day, and the company’s focus on a "screw sorting" event, led to a flood of mockery and outrage from users questioning the leadership's mishandling of the unprecedented "energy poverty."
"People are waiting for electricity, and here they are sorting screws," one user commented on the company’s Facebook post. Another remarked sarcastically, "Important technological advancement to fix blackouts using Artificial Intelligence. Just three people sorting screws... What a way to deceive Cubans, my goodness! And then they blame a blockade that never existed. The world knows what they've done for 65 years; they've lied to everyone."
Public Outcry and Satirical Responses
One comment mocked, "Wow! Screw Sorting... You’ve really entered the meme world, haven’t you? A country in an energy collapse, and you're sorting screws." Another user urged, "Maybe you’ll find the screws missing from your brains to solve the energy deficiency. How can you share such news without blushing? Unbelievable!"
Meanwhile, Vicente de la O Levy, the Minister of Energy and Mines, who is partly responsible for the national electro-energetic system's collapse, admitted in late September that recovery would not be easy. He pointed to the complicated task of cleaning thousands of tubes in thermoelectric condensers.
Regarding long-term solutions like generating electricity from renewable sources, the minister described it as a monumental challenge, noting, "It involves millions of photovoltaic solar panels; hundreds of millions of screws, nuts, washers, steel structures... thousands of piles to install..."
The leaders of the Holguín Electric Company might have thought that if the minister could offer such explanations to the public, they could also garner attention with their latest "volunteer work" project: sorting screws.