Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald Can Cubans survive under Trump's fist?
Apr 9, 2026
Ruaridh Nicoll, a freelance journalist based in Havana who reports for The Guardian and The Telegraph, shares on-the-ground reporting from a 900 km hitchhiking trip across Cuba. He covers the oil blockade, daily hardships like closed schools and funerals, widening inequality and hyperinflation, the surprise Russian tanker, and possible US strategies and outcomes for the island.
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Funeral Journey Reveals Power Failures And Fuel Costs
- Ruaridh Nicoll hitchhiked across Cuba during an oil blockade and rode in a state-loaned refrigerated truck to a funeral because the morgue lacked electricity.
- The family borrowed the truck, hid their identities, and carried charcoal to sell to pay for fuel costing about US$10 per litre.
Growing Inequality Undermines Revolutionary Egalitarianism
- Most people Ruaridh spoke with blamed Cuba's government more than the US, saying inequality has replaced the revolutionary ideal of equality.
- He observed new wealthy private businesses and flashy cars that don't stop for ordinary people hitchhiking with pesos.
Rural Scenes And Urban Hardship Coexist In Cuba
- Ruaridh described rural Cuba with oxen-ploughed fields juxtaposed against urban hyperinflation that leaves many earning under US$5–10 monthly.
- He said people scavenge rubbish bins and struggle with food spoilage when power outages disable fridges.