The Wailing Wall in Cuba
HAVANA TIMES – Approaching strangers to talk about the country’s economic hardships has become something natural in today’s Cuba.
The need to communicate leads to violations of personal space, even among neighbors who previously wouldn’t greet each other. Generational, racial, ideological, and sexual orientation differences that once seemed insurmountable are now bridged spontaneously—sometimes even through physical contact.
Solidarity-based exchanges in the middle of searching for food priced far beyond most people’s means, long lines, and endless hours without electricity often lead us to gather in shared public spaces. Small raised areas that once bordered buildings or sidewalks—walls or curbs—are now known as the Wailing Walls.
Crossing physical and psychological boundaries seems to have become the norm among the most disadvantaged segments of the population. Unable to meet their basic needs, they seek to express their struggles in the hope of feeling understood, validated, and less alone.
The Wailing Walls bring together the elderly. Sitting on them, they share the day’s shortages, attract passersby, ask questions, and exchange information. Neighbors or strangers who once didn’t speak are now united in shared need, and this sense of equality makes them feel less abandoned, at a stage in life when they should be enjoying the protection of the state.