Moving towards extreme poverty
Hello, my friends. Today I want to talk to you about a situation that really worries me: the crisis that Cuba is going through. I have already mentioned some details and causes in previous publications, although not with the real depth, but it is something that continues to worsen day by day and I feel the need to express it in a way that those who read this article have a real notion of what we Cubans are going through.
The situation on the island is not easy. It is not only the low salaries that on average are less than 20 usd per month. In addition, blackouts are a constant reality, from 8 to 12 hours a day without electricity. Something that is taking its toll on the morale of Cubans. And the situation continues to worsen, there is no visible improvement in the short or medium term.
According to a study published by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), 88% of the citizens of Cuba live in extreme poverty. It's a heartbreaking situation! And the worst thing is that if you dare to protest or simply demand your rights, you run the risk of ending up among the more than 1,000 political prisoners in the country. Repression is a palpable reality.
The shortage of medicines and medical supplies is alarming, and health care has become increasingly precarious. The infrastructure is in ruins, the streets are full of potholes and most public buildings are in a deplorable state.
It is not only the lack of civil rights, we are also talking about basic social rights that were formerly accessible. Moreover, those pensioners who have worked for more than 40 years and have to subsist on a pension that does not even reach 8 US dollars per month.
To give you a better idea of what I am talking about: by writing this article, I am taking the risk of incurring a penalty of up to 4 years in jail. Decree Law 35: the new regulations in Cuba to condemn those who speak ill of the government in social networks; even if it is the truth.
But what hurts me the most is to see how the situation is getting more and more complicated. Now it turns out that much of the country is suffering shortages of basic foodstuffs such as bread and milk. The government allocates a single loaf of bread per day per person, of rather dubious quality, which in recent years has been made from cassava, pumpkin and sweet potato. But even that is not guaranteed. But that one loaf of bread, even if you don't want to admit it, solves a lot, since it is for many, something to put in their mouths. And milk, that milk that is only for children up to 7 years old and that after false promises was never given a glass of milk per citizen. Not even children can have their milk anymore, something essential for their development.
The situation has gone so far that the Cuban government has asked the UN World Food Program (WFP) to send milk. The request is unprecedented in the history of Castroism.
As you can appreciate, without having to be a very intuitive person, it is evident that neither agriculture nor livestock farming in Cuba works, since it is not capable of maintaining production even for a small sector of the population.
Every day is worse and worse, and the shamelessness does not touch bottom. How long will the people have to continue resisting, how long will the inept leaders continue to ask the people to resist, while they enjoy a good life that few in the world can afford.
Every day that passes, I worry more and more about the future of my country and my people. It is heartbreaking to see how the crisis is deepening and how the authorities seem to be unable or unwilling to look for any real solution. Daily life has become a constant struggle to survive, which is why Cuba is going through the worst migration crisis in its history.
I would like to say that I have hope that things can change, but I have lost even that. It is time to raise our voices and demand a real change, a change that will give us back the dignity and freedom we long for.
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Original text in Spanish: Translated and formatted with Hive Translator by @noakmilo.
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