The dire situation in Cuba has reached such a critical point that even in death, dignity is not assured.
In the town of Velasco, located in Gibara municipality, Holguín, a family was forced to create a makeshift casket out of cardboard and adhesive tape to bury a loved one due to the complete lack of coffins at the local funeral home.
This distressing incident was brought to light on social media by Hermes Yasell, the nephew of the deceased. He shared a video on Facebook depicting his family assembling the makeshift coffin while the widow wept inconsolably in the background.
"What you see here is my uncle who passed away in Velasco, Holguín, and look at what they had to do to lay him to rest. It's disrespectful... that people can't even have a dignified farewell," Yasell expressed in his post.
He further questioned the call for "resilience" from the public when the government fails to provide even the most basic necessities for honoring the dead.
The situation is made even more ironic by the fact that the cardboard and tape used bore the logos of Cubamax, a shipping service from the United States, and the well-known Goya food brand, as if dignity now depended on foreign arrivals.
Juana Bruzón Cruz, the widow, recounted the ordeal to Martí Noticias, her voice filled with tears.
She mentioned that her husband was a veteran who fought against bandits, yet he was laid to rest in a cardboard box.
"There were five other deceased at the funeral home, and there were no coffins available. One was buried in a refrigerator box, an old broken fridge. My husband was buried in a cardboard box," she lamented.
The body remained at their home from early afternoon until late evening, showing signs of decomposition, while the family assembled the improvised coffin.
Juana described a scene of total neglect: no electricity, absolute darkness; no hearse or even basic preparation for the body.
"No attention whatsoever. There was no one from the state to arrange for a coffin," she complained.
The family resorted to borrowing flashlights from neighbors to complete the coffin and ultimately transported the body to the cemetery on a tricycle.
"This revolution is garbage. I'm telling you. The leaders are hypocrites. The worst terrorists in the world are them. They have us ruined, they've destroyed us. They've destroyed Cuba," she declared.
Her words not only convey deep sorrow but also profound indignation at a system that has failed to uphold even its most basic responsibilities.
From the funeral home in Gibara, José Leyva acknowledged to journalist Mario Pentón that "there's been an issue with coffins," attributing it to electricity and fuel shortages.
He explained that the problem isn't manufacturing, but logistics: without power for saws and diesel to transport wood, the production and distribution of coffins are delayed.
"It's all because of fuel and electricity issues. It's incredible," he stated.
He also mentioned that the hearses are very old, lacking spare parts, and are kept running through "creative fixes" by the drivers.
However, testimony from the family and other residents suggests these issues are neither new nor isolated.
Breakdown of Funeral Services
For years, corpses have been seen being transported on tricycles, trucks, or carts, indicating that the collapse is not temporary but systemic.
The lack of electricity prevents preserving bodies, fuel shortages halt transportation, and the absence of supplies turns farewells into scenes of humiliation.
The incident in Velasco is a brutal example of the institutional decay that has taken hold.
A state unable to provide coffins for its deceased is a state that has abandoned its most fundamental duty: protecting human dignity in all stages of life, including death.
The crisis is not only economic or energy-related; it is also moral and administrative.
The accumulated inefficiency, lack of foresight, and inability to maintain basic services have brought the country to a point where mourning occurs amid cardboard, blackouts, and official silence.
In Cuba today, it is not just food, medicine, or transportation that are scarce: coffins are too.
When a family must construct a coffin by hand to bury a loved one, what is exposed is not just material poverty, but the failure of a system that has left people without resources, without answers, and now, without a dignified final farewell.
Understanding Cuba's Funeral Crisis
What led to the coffin shortage in Cuba?
The coffin shortage in Cuba is attributed to logistical issues caused by electricity and fuel shortages, which delay the production and distribution of coffins.
How are families in Cuba coping with the lack of coffins?
Families in Cuba are resorting to making makeshift caskets out of materials like cardboard due to the absence of traditional coffins.
Why is the situation in Velasco significant?
The situation in Velasco highlights the severity of institutional collapse in Cuba, where basic funeral services cannot be guaranteed, reflecting broader systemic failures.