If 2025 was a tough period in Cuba, marked by a worsening of the economic and energy crisis, the year that is beginning does not look good at all. At least, judging by its first 10 days.
The very difficult year of 2025 is now behind us, and 2026 is slowly beginning. Despite the many shortages and difficulties, Cubans on the island once again put their resilience and willpower to the test, and tried to have the best possible New Year’s Eve, hoping for future improvement. But the change of year has not exactly brought good news.
If the past year was a very difficult period — even more so than 2024 — marked by a worsening of the economic and energy crisis, government measures and plans that have so far failed, and increased pressure from Washington after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the year that is beginning does not look good at all. At least, judging by its first 10 days.
A man works on a building that suffered a collapse in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A mobile charcoal oven on a street in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.
The U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces — in an operation in which, moreover, 32 Cubans lost their lives — has only multiplied the uncertainty in Cuba regarding the coming months.
The strategic relationship between Havana and Caracas is going through a complicated period. Given the strong demands of the Trump administration on the post-Maduro Chavista government and the close ties built over decades between the two countries, it remains to be seen how these relations will be reconfigured in practice beyond government statements and political speeches.
A man walks past a closed store in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A man looks for money to buy food at a private cafeteria in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.
Otherwise, daily life offers no shortage of challenges. Even with a reduction in official figures, the dengue and chikungunya epidemic continues to plague Cubans, as do power outages, inflation, fuel shortages and the “struggle” for survival that defines daily life on the island. In this sense, the year 2026 has begun just as 2025 ended: without respite or romanticism.
This Sunday, photojournalist Otmaro Rodríguez brings us closer to this harsh daily reality that has unfolded with the turn of the year, through his snapshots. His images are a portrait of what recently was and also of what is happening right now on the streets of Havana, at the very beginning of another year that is also expected to be difficult and challenging for the largest of the Caribbean islands.
A young man walks past a Cuban flag inside a building in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People queue in front of private food establishments. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A young man grills meat on a street in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A shoeshine stand in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.An elderly woman cleans the inner courtyard of a building in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A bicycle taxi driver observes potential customers in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A bicycle taxi with Cuban and United States flags and passersby in Fraternidad Park, in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A broken bench in Fraternidad Park, in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Christmas decorations in a private establishment in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Christmas decorations in a private establishment in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Musicians at the entrance of a private establishment in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Street vendor of agricultural products in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A man transports pots and other objects in an old baby carriage. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Accumulation of garbage in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Accumulation of garbage in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.People queue at an ETECSA office in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Sales stall at a fair in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Fuel truck and other vehicles near the National Capitol building in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Sign advertising a private business in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Young students in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.A man talks to another man who is homeless. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.An elderly woman arranges her belongings on a bench in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Market selling Chinese products in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.Vendors and buyers of second-hand items in El Curita Park, in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.
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