Cuban comedian and actor Ulises Toirac took to Facebook this Thursday to express his disapproval of an official event held at the intersection of 23 and 12 in Vedado, Havana. He labeled it as a "waste of resources at 23 and 12" while millions of Cubans were enduring blackouts across the nation.
The event marked the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution and was overseen by Miguel Díaz-Canel, alongside members of the Political Bureau, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, the Union of Young Communists, international delegations, and veteran fighters from Playa Girón.
Toirac humorously explained how the very power outages prevented him from following the event in real-time: "And while, due to power and data outages, I miss important events like the waste of resources at 23 and 12 (which cause more power and data outages, creating an endless loop), I end up cleaning the house and come across these two...".
To illustrate his point, the actor photographed a quarter next to a rusty metal washer and rhetorically asked: "Which solves more? The event or having more power... Oh, sorry... The coin or the washer? Damn, how do you erase that?"
The stark contrast between the official event and the country's energy reality is glaring: the Electric Union predicted a shortage of up to 1,872 megawatts during the nighttime peak, with only 1,217 megawatts available compared to a demand of 2,110 megawatts recorded in the early morning hours.
Throughout April, daily deficits have exceeded 1,600 megawatts, peaking at 1,945 megawatts on April 1st, leaving up to 55% of the national territory without power simultaneously, and over 200,000 Havana residents without potable water, as 87% of the water supply system relies on electric pumps.
The energy crisis has worsened due to the halt in Venezuelan oil shipments since December 2025 and multiple breakdowns in thermoelectric plants. March saw two total electrical collapses: on March 16th, with 29 hours and 29 minutes without electricity, and on March 22nd, when over 90% of Havana was left in darkness.
In his speech yesterday, Díaz-Canel acknowledged that Cuba is almost entirely without fuel but blamed the primary responsibility on the U.S. embargo, which he called a "genocidal blockade."
He also refused to label Cuba as a "failed state," opting for the term "besieged state" instead, and warned of a potential military aggression from the United States.
Toirac is not new to this type of criticism. In February, he mockingly addressed the "difficult times" acknowledged by Díaz-Canel, depicting a regime of darkness in Havana and attributing the electrical collapse to 30 years of misguided investment policies (rather than the embargo).
In October 2025, he also questioned the summoning of mass rallies during working days while the population struggles with hunger, blackouts, and shortages.
Toirac's publication follows a pattern that has made him one of the most consistent and popular critics of the Cuban government on social media: a sharp irony that contrasts political propaganda spending with the material hardship of everyday life in a country where socialism, according to Díaz-Canel, remains the shield of the present and the guarantee of the future.
Understanding Cuba's Energy Crisis and Social Critique
What event did Ulises Toirac criticize on Facebook?
Ulises Toirac criticized an official event held at 23 and 12 in Vedado, Havana, marking the 65th anniversary of the socialist declaration of the Cuban Revolution, labeling it as a waste of resources amid widespread blackouts.
How has the energy crisis in Cuba worsened?
Cuba's energy crisis has intensified due to the cessation of Venezuelan oil shipments since December 2025 and multiple failures in thermoelectric plants, resulting in severe power shortages and frequent blackouts.
What was Díaz-Canel's response to the energy crisis and criticism?
Díaz-Canel acknowledged the fuel shortage but attributed the primary blame to the U.S. embargo, which he described as a "genocidal blockade," and rejected the notion of Cuba as a "failed state," preferring "besieged state."