A Cuban entrepreneur has taken to social media to deliver a stark critique that captures the deep frustration of millions of Cubans fed up with official rhetoric. In a video, Yilian Illas Villafaña, while cooking with charcoal alongside her mother, directly challenges those urging "creative resistance" without ever having experienced the hardships faced by the Cuban people.
"Those who tell us to 'resist creatively' have never seen my mother and me struggling to light charcoal or to keep the kerosene stove going just to sustain our business and put food on the table," Villafaña asserts in the video.
The target of her criticism is the language adopted by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has used "creative resistance" as an ideological banner to justify the ongoing crisis. On January 2, 2026, during the commemoration of the Revolution's anniversary, Díaz-Canel spoke of "67 years of creative resistance" and later urged the population to face severe cutbacks with "creative resistance, effort, and talent."
Villafaña dismantles this rhetoric by highlighting the daily struggles she endures with her mother: power outages lasting over 24 hours, days without water, months without gas, and nights spent hungry.
"Those who have never experienced a power outage exceeding 24 hours, those who don't know what it's like to have no water for days or no gas for months, those who don't have dark circles under their eyes, are the ones telling us to resist creatively," she declares in the video.
The entrepreneur doesn't stop there. She also criticizes those who have never grasped the human toll of the crisis: "It's also said by those who have never seen millions of Cubans go to bed hungry. The list goes on, but 'resist, resist, resist,' they say, even though they've never had to withstand anything."
The video emerges during one of the worst energy crises Cuba has faced in decades, with power outages extending beyond 40 hours consecutively.
Compounding the electrical crisis is a severe shortage of medications: by April, over 70% of essential medicines were out of stock in state pharmacies, and 100,000 patients, including 12,000 children, awaited surgeries due to power outages and lack of supplies.
The popular backlash against the "resistance" narrative isn't confined to social media. Protests, known as "cacerolazos," erupted in several Havana neighborhoods — Regla, Vedado, Guanabacoa — as a direct response to the blackouts, and other Cuban women have voiced their outrage in widely circulated videos. An elderly woman recently questioned how she is supposed to survive this crisis.
Understanding Cuba's Energy and Supply Crisis
What is "creative resistance" in the context of Cuba?
"Creative resistance" is a term used by Cuban officials, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel, to encourage citizens to adapt and find innovative solutions amid severe shortages and economic difficulties.
How long are the power outages in Cuba?
Cuba has experienced power outages lasting more than 40 hours consecutively, contributing to a significant strain on daily life and essential services.
What impact has the energy crisis had on healthcare in Cuba?
The energy crisis has severely affected healthcare, with over 70% of essential medicines being unavailable and 100,000 patients, including 12,000 children, waiting for surgeries due to power outages and lack of medical supplies.