Came to Cuba to slow down – Martin S.Image: zVg
interview
Since 2022, Martin S. has been living in Cuba with his wife Maria for part of the year. In an interview he talks about the consequences of the oil embargoes, the electricity shortage and life in Cuba.
March 28, 2026, 10:10March 28, 2026, 10:21 am
The decades-long tensions between the USA and Cuba have escalated again. Since Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela and the arrest of its ex-president Nicolás Maduro, Latin American socialism has come under increasing pressure. Since December 2025, Trump has had Cuba cut off from oil. In addition to the lack of oil, he has already hinted several times about taking over the island.
Martin tells us in an interview how the people in Cuba experience the scarce oil, the power outages and the latest political developments. Since 2022, the Swiss man and his wife have been spending a large part of the year on the Caribbean island. The couple owns a house and B&B in the town of Baracoa on the east side of the island, around 1,000 kilometers from the capital Havana.
On Saturday, March 21st there was a nationwide power outage in Cuba. How is the power supply in your area?
Martin: For about two years we have had electricity for about an hour a day, mostly at night. This isn’t a problem for me and my wife, as we have purchased solar panels with storage batteries for the most necessary electrical devices.
Only one hour of electricity per day?
Yes, sometimes even less. The further you are from the capital, the more difficult the situation.
How are the Cubans coping with the scarce electricity?
My neighbors get up every night to do laundry or cook. The problem is, you never know exactly when the electricity will come and how long it will stay. The power can be gone again after 20 minutes. You put the pot with the rice on the stove and before it’s cooked, the power goes off again. You can’t store anything because everything in the fridge and freezer breaks. Scarce electricity is also a problem in other places. In hospitals they sometimes have to operate with flashlights because they no longer have light.
Baracoa: Around 80,000 people live in the city on Cuba’s east coast. Image: zVg
There are no emergency generators in the hospitals?
Yes, but no fuel. Since Trump cut us off from Venezuelan oil, the price of gasoline and diesel has gone through the roof. To refuel you have to log in with an app. You get a number, for example 1500-something. Around eight to ten people can fill up every day. It can take up to five months to get to number 1500. You can only pay by card and in US dollars. On the black market, a liter of gasoline costs around 3,500 pesos, which is about seven dollars, and the trend is rising rapidly.
How else do you notice the lack of oil?
Everywhere. The entire supply chain is affected, and when goods are scarce, they become more expensive. This is a market economy – even under socialism.
Do you have a few examples to help us imagine this better? How much does a carton of eggs cost now, what did it cost before the Venezuela attack?
A carton of eggs, which is 30 pieces, costs 4,000 pesos, or about eight US dollars. Before Venezuela the price was 2500 pesos, almost half as much. For comparison: a pensioner earns around 1,500 pesos a month, a cashier 3,000. Many rely on money from family and friends abroad. For Cubans without family abroad, this is actually unaffordable. Food prices are one thing, the lack of oil also has a strong impact on basic supplies. In Cuba, electricity is supplied by thermal power plants, i.e. fuel. Because the water pumps are powered by electricity, many are not running at the moment. People have to go find water.
What was healthcare like before Venezuela? Has the situation deteriorated so much here too?
Well, health care was already bad before oil stopped flowing from Venezuela. Although Cuba has well-trained doctors and lends them to the whole world, there is also a lack of basic care here. If you have a hole in your tooth, you have to bring the anesthetic injection and the filling yourself to the dentist. During operations in the hospital, you have to find rubber gloves, IV lines, syringes or threads to sew up wounds yourself.
Baracoa, Cuba: Daily queue in front of the bank
People line up in front of the bank in Baracoa, Cuba every day.Video: watson/zVG
What effect does this have on Cubans? The dissatisfaction with people who bear responsibility must be enormous.
Criticism of the government has always been high behind closed doors and has increased again recently. Since Trump cut off our oil, there aren’t many people who say: “I’m a communist and I stand by it.” However, no one comments publicly. Anyone who does this will end up in prison. However, if all dissatisfied people took to the streets, the government would not have enough prison cells.
What about social media, is there any resistance?
The internet is controlled, even if not very strongly, but you can’t post whatever you want. But there is no real opposition on social media either. If so, then it comes from Cuban exiles from the USA.
US President Trump recently hinted at taking over Cuba, whereupon the Cuban government made it clear that it knew how to defend itself. What do you get from these developments?
Not very much, but almost nothing works here anyway, so I can’t imagine it being any different in the military.
How do Cubans feel about Trump?
People here have mixed feelings about Trump. A change in the system would be welcome – but Trump would not.
Maria and Martin S. on the beach in Baracoa.Image: zVg
Are you in contact with other Swiss people in Cuba?
Here in Baracoa there are a few Swiss, but also Germans and Austrians. I am in contact with most of them.
Have some already returned to their home countries due to the current situation?
Yes, some have already left, but this has nothing to do with the current situation. Many people do not live permanently in Cuba, but simply spend the winter months here. I’m traveling back to Switzerland in June because it will be too hot for me then.
What do you hope for the future of Cuba?
I came to Cuba to slow down. However, the problems seem to be getting worse and worse. For the future, I hope that the economy will progress and that goods that are available worldwide will also be available in Cuba, for example for basic medical care. The people of Cuba deserve this.