Complaining in Cuba Is Not the Same as Protesting

Official discourse in Cuba has once again equated citizen protest with the right to complain, deeming any public demonstration outside the framework of “institutionality” as illegitimate.

Cuba: Stores & Gas Stations in US Dollars Continue to Grow

In early May 2025, El Toque published a list of the dollar stores we were able to find in Cuba. At that time, we counted 85 establishments that sold their products exclusively in foreign currency. Now, five months later, we count 209 — an increase of 146%.

Is it True There Are No Political Prisoners in Cuba?

From Raul Castro to Fernandez de Cossío: the same FALSE discourse persists to deny political prisoners and accuse Amnesty International.

Cuba X-ray: Power Doesn’t Pay Debts but Demands Obedience

In the midst of blackouts lasting up to 25 hours and more than 3 million Cubans facing limited access to drinking water, Miguel Díaz-Canel once again promised “victories.” Yet while his talk centers on creative resistance, families turn to homemade inventions to collect rainwater and survive in increasingly precarious conditions.

Cuba’s Linemen Work Without Gloves, Boots, or Safety Gear

In Cuba, there is hardly any electricity. That is a fact. But the workers in this field also lack the means to perform their duties. A lineman told El Toque: “The conditions in which I work are awful and dangerous, lacking all safety and protective equipment.”

Good News for Cuba Travelers: Tariff Exemptions Extended

Cuban authorities have once again extended a set of exceptional tariff benefits, established to ease the shortage of basic necessities and the energy crisis in the country.

Job Offer for Skilled Cubans on the Island of Granada

They offer contracts in US dollars and work visas for the island of Grenada to Cuban masons and carpenters.

Neglected Cuban Towns Without Electricity or Potable Water

Life in Cuba’s towns is fading away. A set of photographs from San Antonio de Cabezas, in the municipality of Union de Reyes, Matanzas, bears witness to the decline. The streets show barely any movement: few people and no vehicles appear in public. A park without people, buildings without paint. The monotony of nothingness.

Cuban Teen Gets Eight Years for Carrying “El Quimico”

On September 4, 2025, the sentencing was announced in Moron (Ciego de Ávila) of an 18-year-old who must now spend eight years in prison for being in possession of several doses of the drug with intent to traffic, according to a report in Invasor, the official newspaper in that central province.

Cuban Honey Sweetens Europe While It Sours for Producers

Any jar of organic honey sold in shops in Germany, Spain, or France —and in other European Union countries— may contain the product of Carlos’s hard work and the dozens of hives he maintains in a rural area of eastern Cuba. Yet this beekeeper is one of many dissatisfied with the State’s debts to producers and with the new payment terms imposed after the XIII Congress of the National Association of Small Farmers.

Cuba Announces Integration into Chinese Payment System

Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, informed government media on September 7, 2025, that the island’s banks will integrate into the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). The system is designed by China as an alternative to SWIFT for conducting international payments in Chinese yuan, and that the use of this currency will increase in transactions between the two nations.

Cuban Power Grid Collapses Again: Fifth Nationwide Blackout in Less Than a Year

Cuba’s power grid collapsed again on Sept. 10, marking the fifth nationwide blackout in less than a year as the island’s energy crisis worsens.

Leased Taxis Provide a Lifeboat for Cuba’s State-Run Company

This story explores how Cuba’s state-run taxi company, faced with a crumbling fleet and economic crisis, increasingly relies on private drivers. Through voices like Alex’s, it shows the opportunities and burdens of a hybrid system where drivers shoulder costs and risks, while the State still comes out on top.

My Depression in Cuba Comes from Distractions

A sharp, ironic reflection on Cuba’s leadership during Díaz-Canel’s trips abroad, exposing the emptiness of official rhetoric, the inefficiency of state institutions, and the disconnect between government speeches and daily hardships.

Marisabidillas – A Reading Club to Combat Cuba’s Chaos

In Havana, Elizabeth Quintana Lezcano reclaims the word marisabidilla—once a slur for opinionated women—to name her book club. Through short, powerful works by contemporary women writers, the club has become a space of community, resilience, and self-discovery amid Cuba’s crises.