Cuban Entrepreneur Criticizes ETECSA Price Hike Threatening Her Livelihood

The Cuban art historian and entrepreneur Iris Cruz Núñez, part of the natural cosmetics project Papaya y Banana, has joined the chorus of voices on social media condemning the consequences of ETECSA’s price hike. This move by the state-run telecommunications company, combined with the country's economic crisis, has further eroded the welfare of Cuban citizens. "Even if you don't see me, I'm still here: thinking, writing, and trying to live a 'normal' life," she expressed in a Facebook post, highlighting her social commitment while maintaining her identity as a creator.

Cruz openly supports the university protests against the newly imposed rates by ETECSA, which students have labeled "absurd measures". "My work, which helps support my elderly mother and my younger brother with disabilities, relies on an internet connection that I might soon lose. Not everyone can afford to pay for services from abroad," she lamented.

Residing in Las Tunas, Iris is an integral part of Papaya y Banana, an eco-friendly venture crafting artisanal cosmetic products from natural ingredients. This project has gained acclaim for its quality and originality at national craft fairs. It seeks sustainability and aesthetics on a local scale, despite facing supply shortages and bureaucratic hurdles.

Beyond her entrepreneurial efforts, Cruz delivers a direct critique of the regime: "There are lines that should not be crossed. The people deserve respect, admiration, and, above all, answers," she wrote, referring to the visible poverty, hunger, and exhaustion in the streets. She also questioned the institutional inaction amidst the economic turmoil: "The cruelty would be less if Cuban companies, or the economy at large, focused on their own development. But that's not the case. My brother, like many other workers, is 'interrupted', stuck in a limbo that nobody seems willing to address."

Cruz emphasizes the resurgence of civic dignity, driven by the youth, whom she credits with a renewed capacity to act, demand, and shape their future: "Today, young people don't wait; they study, work, and take charge of their own future." Her message concludes with a subtle irony about mobile data consumption: "Since yesterday, the megabytes seem to last longer. What's happening?"

In a country where internet access has become a dividing line between participation and silence, testimonies like Iris Cruz's illustrate that thinking remains a free act, even as attempts are made to levy charges on it. In a bid to quell the protests sparked by ETECSA’s pricing, the regime's latest conciliatory gesture involved the creation of a "multidisciplinary" group by the FEU to seek "new" solutions.