Bye-bye summer

The summer season in Cuba officially ended this Sunday. Although on the island, summer, with its high temperatures and rigors, lasts even longer.

The season that ended this Sunday is that of school vacations, that of television and cultural programming different from the rest of the year, that of two months ― July and August ― in which many decide to take a break from work and try to relax as much as possible.

A family enjoys the Havana beach of Bacuranao, in the summer of 2024. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

It is the traditional time to go to the beach, to share with the family, for children’s games in the streets and parks, to go for a walk, have ice cream at Coppelia, and travel to another province. At least that was the case for a long time, although now that reality is not the same for most people.

The summer of 2024 has been, like those of recent years, marked by the crisis. Along with the oppressive heat, summer rains, and storms, there has been no shortage of hardships and shortages. As there was in the previous months.

A blackout in Cuba in the summer of 2024. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Even with children and teenagers out of school and with many adults on leave from work, national life has continued to be hit by blackouts, problems with water supply, overflowing garbage dumps, the constant “struggle” for money and food, and skyrocketing prices.

In addition, there has been the spread of the Oropouche virus throughout the country, which, together with dengue and other diseases, has made vacations bitter for many Cubans and has made the epidemiological situation throughout the island more complex.

Debris falling from a building on Monte Street in Havana, as a result of the ravages of Hurricane Rafael. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

It is in the midst of these circumstances that many have insisted on having fun, on “disconnecting”; they have returned to beaches, rivers, parks to play soccer, cinemas, and theaters, as long as the weather, their pockets, and the electricity allow it.

With only one day left for Cuban schools to reopen their doors to more than a million and a half students, and for the majority to “change their chip” until July and August 2025, we propose a graphic summary of the summer. Two months through the lens of Otmaro Rodríguez that are, at the same time, a portrait of the present in Cuba, of its difficulties and efforts.