Power Outage Sparks Protest in Cuba's Rural Guisa Community: Promised Electricity, Vanished Cables

In the remote region of Bejuquero, nestled within the mountainous terrain of Guisa in Cuba's Granma province, residents recently took to the streets in protest after enduring over three months without electricity. The community's frustration erupted when, instead of progressing with the promised electrification, authorities began removing power lines while offering vague explanations.

A Facebook video posted by Angélica María Aliaga Carrazana captured the public outrage, showing dozens of locals gathering to voice their discontent upon learning that officials were dismantling the electrical infrastructure intended for the much-anticipated electrification. "We've been in the dark for more than three months. Since 2000, they assured us we would be electrified, but instead, they came, tore down the cables, and while talking to us, they were cutting them," Aliaga Carrazana complained in her post.

The footage reveals a uniformed officer, seemingly a Lieutenant Colonel from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), attempting to explain the situation to residents who responded with boos and defiant remarks. "Take us to jail if you want," one resident is heard shouting. In the background, a green truck, presumably military, can be seen with workers engaged in dismantling the electrical wiring.

Escalating Discontent Amidst a Structural Energy Crisis

This incident of unrest is not unique. In November 2024, another community within the same municipality—the Guisa Military Sector—clashed with local authorities after a broken transformer left its residents without power. Officials then decided to connect the population to the National Electric System (SEN), a decision met with resistance from locals who feared increased instability due to frequent nationwide blackouts.

In both instances, residents took to the streets demanding answers. Videos shared by the community depict individuals resolutely asserting their right to a dignified life while local officials were criticized for their lack of concrete solutions.

In November, the visit from Yudelkis Ortiz, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Granma, failed to calm tensions in the Guisa Military Sector. Her Facebook post focused on broad topics and avoided addressing the conflict directly, sparking further criticism from those affected.

Human Cost of Power Shortages

Back in 2017, CiberCuba reported the plight of young Osmani Suárez, a Bejuquero resident suffering from chronic bronchial asthma, whose life was severely endangered by the lack of electricity. His mother lamented that they only had access to a generator for four hours a day and, without a nearby medical clinic or quick access to medication, her son ended up in intensive care after a crisis. The village, home to around 600 people, relies on Horneros village—located eight kilometers away—for medical emergencies, often without ambulance transport due to fuel shortages. "If my child dies, it will be because of the lack of electricity," she stated, summarizing the daily tragedy faced by many rural Cuban families.

Propaganda vs. Reality

Meanwhile, the regime's propaganda machine continues to tout alleged advancements in the electrical sector within Granma province. Yolaine Ramírez Carrazana, current director of the Basic Business Unit (UEB) 'Customer Service Center' (CIAC) at the Granma Electric Company, has been showered with accolades for her "dedication" and "leadership," according to Radio Bayamo. In 2019, the Guisa UEB was awarded the National Vanguard Flag, and in 2024, Ramírez Carrazana herself received the Ñico López medal for "outstanding results," as reported by the state-run media La Demajagua.

These honors starkly contrast with the reality faced by hundreds of families living partially or entirely disconnected from the grid or relying on solar panels that lack maintenance and fail to meet basic needs. According to recent data provided by Geider Mompié Rodríguez, the current general director of the Granma Electric Company, 587 out of 2,879 solar panels installed in the province were broken as of April 2023. He acknowledged then that they lacked the resources necessary for repairs.

Between Misinformation and Growing Frustration

The regime's energy policy has been marked by a narrative of self-sufficiency and technological advancement, with promises of energy matrix changes and solar park expansions. However, officials admit these projects do not address the structural power generation deficit. For example, Granma consumes between 100 and 120 MW at midday peak times, yet its largest solar park delivers only about 21 MW—just 20% of what's needed, as Mompié Rodríguez confessed to Radio Bayamo.

In this context, protests like the one in Bejuquero are becoming increasingly common, fueled by accumulated frustration and the lack of real solutions. Entire rural communities continue to await the arrival of a basic service while authorities celebrate goals that exist only in speeches and official headlines. The disconnect between triumphalist rhetoric and the daily lives of Cubans in these unelectrified areas reveals the profound deterioration of a system that has lost its ability to respond, even on the most fundamental level.