- by Graham Holton
- The Guardian
- Issue #2201
CPA Port Adelaide Branch action in support of Cuba, Friday 5 June.
The US oil embargo and sanctions have restricted Cuba’s access to finance, trade, and many imported goods, causing high fuel and food prices. Limited access to imported fuel, spare parts, and equipment has created low productivity, currency distortions, and inefficiencies in state owned enterprises.
Support from traditional trading partners has been reduced due to US political and military pressure, worsening the supply problem. Cuba is solving these economic and social problems through technical creativity, innovation, resourcefulness, and community solidarity.
The Cuban government is doing much to solve the energy problem by expanding renewable energy through installing large solar farms, and increased wind and biomass generation from the sugar industry. It is seeking investment from China and other countries to modernise its electricity system. As well as this, the recent change in regulations has allowed many Cubans to operate informal businesses from home, such as restaurants, repair shops, delivery services, and mobile phone repairs.
Engineers and technicians keep machinery, vehicles, and household appliances operating by fabricating replacement parts, or adapting components from other equipment. Engineers and clinicians repair, refurbish, or adapt medical equipment to keep hospitals functioning when replacement parts are unavailable.
Mechanics convert bicycles into electric bikes using salvaged motors and batteries, reducing fuel consumption. Car batteries, repurposed lithium batteries, and inverters are used in homemade backup systems to provide electricity during outages.
Everyday Cubans are inventing new ways to survive the economic crisis and help solve their everyday problems. The shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and electricity have led to creative strategies to meet their needs. People exchange goods, services and skills, and use social media or messaging apps to locate scarce products.
Families and neighbourhoods grow vegetables in backyards, rooftops, and community gardens to supplement scarce food supplies. Farmers use animal manure and organic waste to produce methane for cooking and heating water, reducing dependence on bottled gas and firewood.
Families share food, childcare, transport, and medical supplies with neighbours in a barter exchange. Many households build simple solar hot-water systems using recycled pipes, tanks, and glass to power lights, mobile phones, fans, Wi-Fi routers, and small appliances during the blackouts.
Rural communities have developed wood-burning stoves that use less fuel. Some remote communities use combinations of solar panels, batteries, and diesel backup generators to reduce reliance on the national grid.
The healthcare system faces major shortages of medical supplies and modern equipment. Yet nearly every neighbourhood has a doctor and nurse living and working within the community, providing early diagnosis and home visits. Community healthcare workers closely monitor older adults, pregnant women, and those suffering from chronic illnesses, allowing early intervention. Digital consultations and electronic health records have expanded to improve access to specialists.
Cuba has built a significant biotechnology sector that develops domestic vaccines and pharmaceuticals. During the COVID-19 pandemic Cuba developed its own vaccines. Shortages of imported medicines have led to wider use of herbal and traditional plant-based remedies, supported by research and guidance from the public health system.
These survival strategies demonstrate remarkable ingenuity and resilience. At the same time, they reflect the severity of the economic hardships many Cubans endure.
Cuba’s strong engineering tradition, innovation and resourcefulness cannot substitute for economic growth, reliable infrastructure, and access to international markets. Large-scale investment is needed in electricity generation, transmission, and storage to provide a reliable power supply nationwide. Until then Cuba is surviving the best way it knows how.
