The Current Cubans in exile want an “end to communism”
Mar 20, 2026
Sebastián Arcos, interim director at the Cuban Research Institute and former dissident, and Jorge Barrera, CBC reporter in Havana, discuss Cuba’s nationwide blackout, fuel and electricity shortages, and the human impact on daily life. They cover signs of public frustration, government messaging, tourism collapse, U.S. pressure and debates over possible political transitions.
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Blackout Is a Systemic Crisis
- Cuba's national blackout has cascading effects beyond lights, halting water pumps and crippling food access.
- Jorge Barrera reports hotels and central Havana have power, but outside neighborhoods face no water, soaring food prices, and garbage piling up.
Daily Survival Routine Under Power Cuts
- Families plan daily around when electricity returns, cooking and buying perishables only for the day.
- Jorge Barrera recounts people filling tubs of water and parents skipping meals so their children can eat amid chicken prices jumping from 18 to 300 Cuban pesos per pound.
Government Controls The Narrative
- The Cuban government blames the U.S. oil blockade and tightly controls domestic messaging to downplay unrest.
- Jorge Barrera describes directives to local media to produce positive stories and label contrary claims as counter-revolutionary campaigns.