Safie M. Gonzalez Archives

The Health Crisis in Cuba

In every corner of the island, daily life unfolds under an alert triggered by the buzz of the mosquito — no longer just a nuisance…

Walking past the House of the Green Tiles is, for the curious an invitation to imagine the conversations that once took place there.

With the 1959 Revolution, bread became politicized. The promise of “bread for everyone” was institutionalized in 1962 with the Ration Book.

The street was empty, with the bulk of the crowd scattered along the avenue waiting for a collective taxi to take them to their destinations.

It’s not just a line. It’s an open-air popular assembly, a thermometer of scarcity, and a theater of survival.

The average salary hovers around 4,000 Cuban pesos (CUP). ($10 USD) A few years ago, that was enough to get by. Today, it’s a cruel joke.

The bell rings at a school in Havana, but it doesn’t just announce the start of class — it signals the beginning of another day of endurance.

What is at stake goes beyond scarcity: it’s the emotional memory of an entire society, the trust be-tween generations…

Repeated disasters, yet the promises remain the same: the drains will be cleaned, the networks rehabilitated, and new machinery purchased.

I remember my grandfather pausing in the doorway every time he heard the “Peanut Vendor” coming down the street.