Comedian Mario Sardiñas, known for his character Chequera on the show "Vivir del Cuento," recently shared a video on Facebook that starkly captures the essence of life in Cuba: enduring power outages, cooking with wood, and lacking Internet access.
Chequera's summation of his neighborhood is both simple and striking: it's not just a district or a community, "it's a tribe."
In the humorous sketch, his niece inquires whether Arroyo Arenas—a district in La Lisa municipality—is a neighborhood or a locality. Without hesitation, he responds, "No, niece, it's a tribe. Look, we never have electricity, we cook with wood, and now there's no connection. We are a tribe."
He then extends his hand with a smile, introducing himself as "Chief Chequera."
The clip has gone viral, amassing over 63,000 views, resonating with many Cubans who recognize this as their reality.
Harsh Realities Behind the Humor
What Chequera presents humorously is acknowledged by the authorities as a harsh truth. On October 20, ETECSA, the state-run telecommunications company, identified Arroyo Arenas as one of the regions most affected by prolonged power outages and challenges in maintaining backup systems. The company stated that their services would be restored "gradually as facilities receive electricity," effectively meaning: when the government decides or manages to do so.
Living Conditions Worsen
With continuous power cuts and a shortage of liquefied gas, wood and charcoal have become the only cooking options for millions of families. The cost of a sack skyrocketed to between 3,200 and 5,000 pesos across various provinces in June, against an average monthly salary of just 6,930 pesos.
Sardiñas remains active on social media, using satire to highlight Cuba's crisis.
In April, he humorously claimed he would move to the Moon "because they never cut the power there"; in August, he turned the "four hours without power for ten minutes with electricity" system into a song.
September saw him turning a food tray into an antenna to search for an Internet signal, a clip that garnered over 334,000 views. A month later, he humorously stated that three traditional Cuban sayings had lost their meaning: "a sleeping shrimp is carried away by the current," "water you won’t drink, let it flow," and "in bad weather, put on a brave face."
Understanding Chequera's Social Commentary
What does Chequera mean by calling his neighborhood a "tribe"?
Chequera uses the term "tribe" humorously to depict the primitive living conditions in his neighborhood, such as the lack of electricity and reliance on wood for cooking.
How has ETECSA responded to the telecommunications issues in Arroyo Arenas?
ETECSA acknowledged the region's telecommunications struggles due to extended power outages, stating services would resume gradually as electricity is restored.
Why are wood and charcoal the primary cooking methods for many Cuban families?
Due to persistent power cuts and a lack of liquefied gas, many families in Cuba have no choice but to use wood and charcoal for cooking.