Yisel Benítez, a Cuban resident, ventured out in search of cooking oil, only to return home with an empty bag after traversing several blocks without success. Her frustration, captured on video during her fruitless search, quickly became a viral sensation on Facebook, garnering over 822,000 views, 43,000 likes, and 2,700 comments.
In a pointed question to Cuban authorities, Benítez exclaimed, "Are you stupid, or are you trying to kill us?" She immediately answered her own question, stating, "I have the answer: you are trying to kill us."
The Struggle for Basic Necessities
The catalyst for her outrage is a scene that many Cuban families face daily: navigating various stores in search of essential goods, only to return empty-handed due to either scarcity or prohibitive prices. "I've walked countless blocks searching for oil. There's none to be found anywhere, but the worst part is when it does appear, it will be priced at 5,000 pesos because that's the current rate," she lamented.
Throughout her journey, Benítez found few affordable options. "I stumbled upon a carton of eggs. How much? Six thousand pesos, which is two hundred pesos per egg," she recounted. This price point aligns with those recently observed in other parts of the country, such as Santiago de Cuba, where a carton of eggs has been sold for up to 7,500 pesos—a price unattainable for both workers and retirees whose incomes fall far short of the actual cost of living.
Critiquing Economic Policies
Benítez, who claims to have studied Economics, used much of her video to critique the Cuban government's attempts to control prices. "They set a price cap that was worthless, leading to shortages. Now, they've removed the cap without offering sufficient supply to meet demand, which causes a dramatic price increase," she asserted.
Her comments refer to the removal of retail price caps for products like oil and chicken, as dictated by the Ministry of Finance and Prices' Resolution 150/2026, effective since June 20. In July, Decree 156 extended this policy to rice. According to Benítez, lifting these limits in a scarcity-driven market will directly impact consumers' wallets.
Addressing those who formulate the nation's economic strategy, she declared, "I studied economics and would love to discuss with one of the economists up there because you need to go back to school, my dear."
Impact of New Economic Measures
Benítez also criticized the recent policies involving private economic actors, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local businesses, in financing benefits for retirees in their areas. She believes these new expenses will ultimately be transferred to the prices consumers pay. "When these actors assume those costs, they'll add them to the products. So, get ready everyone, because oil will cost ten thousand, and a carton of eggs thirty thousand," she warned.
Although these figures are speculative, they reflect a widespread concern among Cubans about the relentless rise in food prices and the diminishing purchasing power.
"There's not a single decision you make that benefits us, the ordinary people. They all harm us, yet we blame others afterward," she criticized.
Daily Life Challenges
The struggle to find food is not the only issue Benítez faces. In another post made days later, she shared that her area had been without a 220-volt transformer for 12 days following a malfunction on July 30, which, according to her, the Electric Union had yet to resolve.
The combination of shortages, skyrocketing prices, and power supply issues led Benítez to sum up her daily life with the phrase: "Living in Cuba is like playing a video game on hard mode without a tutorial."
However, it was the image that concluded her search that best encapsulated her complaint. After walking numerous blocks in search of something as basic as oil, she returned home exactly as she had left. "By the way, I return home with nothing in the bag. Literally," she concluded.
An empty bag after a day spent seeking food has thus become the image Benítez uses to encapsulate a crisis that, for many Cuban families, is no longer measured solely by economic statistics but by what they can—or cannot—put on the table each day.
Understanding the Economic Crisis in Cuba
What prompted Yisel Benítez's viral video?
Yisel Benítez's video went viral after she expressed frustration over the scarcity of cooking oil, a basic necessity, which she could not find after walking several blocks. Her candid critique of the Cuban government's handling of economic policies resonated with many, leading to widespread attention on social media.
Why are basic goods so expensive in Cuba?
The high prices of basic goods in Cuba are attributed to economic policies that have led to shortages, the removal of price caps without sufficient supply to meet demand, and the subsequent inflationary pressures that these conditions create.
How do recent government policies affect consumers?
Recent government policies, such as the removal of retail price caps and involving private actors in financing local benefits, are believed to further increase consumer prices as businesses pass on these costs to their customers.