Residents in Santiago de Cuba are building artisanal charcoal ovens between apartment buildings as the country's energy crisis worsens. Power outages now reach 20 hours a day and cooking fuels like liquefied gas and kerosene have nearly disappeared. People are turning to charcoal made from fallen hurricane debris as their only reliable cooking fuel. Cuba exported $61.8 million worth of charcoal in 2023 while its own citizens struggle to cook. The price of a charcoal can has jumped from 200 to 800 pesos. President Diaz-Canel had promoted charcoal cooking as creative resistance but recently admitted that slogan is no longer enough. The article highlights the paradox of a major charcoal exporter whose population cannot access cooking fuel.
