MONTREAL – As a power outage plunged the 11 million residents of Cuba into darkness and cut off running water to many homes, Alexy Dias Arcia was frying plantains in the kitchen of Le Cecilia, his Montreal restaurant, reflecting on the living conditions in his home country. “I send money to some family members,” he said. “But as I am cooking here, I keep thinking that some Cubans are now having a hard time finding ingredients to make soup.” Cuban flags greet customers at the door of the restaurant and adorn the coffee cup from which Antonio Tang sips a strong coffee. He has spent hours working the phone to reach friends in Cuba, a country he left decades ago, getting updates on power outages. “We are seeing the economic collapse of a country that has been deteriorating, step by step, for 67 years,” he said. Tang has been watching political developments in the country closely. He believes the United States’ embargo on oil, which is choking off the supply to Cuba, is likely the final blow that will lead to leadership change in the country, which he predicts could be within days or weeks. “They don’t have the support of the population, and this is why they are finished,” Tang said. “It’s not only the exterior pressure, it is the interior pressure that is building up, and now people are filling the streets in protest.” U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he might have the “honour of taking Cuba,” saying he could do anything he wanted with the country. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for new leadership in Cuba. “It’s really chaotic right now,” said Tang. “The Cuban government has totally lost control of the economy.” Cuba has proposed to open the economy and invite those in exile to invest in businesses in the country. But that measure, said Tang, will take too long to implement and won’t solve the immediate crisis. Tang continues to make calls to Cuba and finally reaches a friend. She is at home and has been without electricity and running water for more than a day. It’s just the latest in a seemingly endless series of blackouts she has faced. When asked what she is doing to pass the time, she answered: “I am just waiting for a miracle.” This is the third island-wide blackout in four months, and officials say the crumbling grid could fail again.
