Fabiana del Valle, a 42-year-old Cuban artist, shares in her diary how the government's declaration of a 'state of war' has deepened daily hardships on the island. Following the capture of Venezuela's president early in 2026 and a Washington ultimatum, Cuba grapples with severe shortages of food, electricity, and medicine. Del Valle voices the exhaustion of ordinary citizens caught in geopolitical tensions.
Fabiana del Valle, 42, an artist in Havana, recounts in her diary published by Havana Times how her life has shifted dramatically. Once, art was her outlet for rebellion and expression; now, her brushes lie idle because survival trumps hobbies. "We can’t afford the luxury of ‘painting for the love of art,’" she writes, focusing instead on scraping together daily meals.
The situation has turned unbearable after the Cuban government's announcement of a "state of war," responding to the capture of Venezuela's president early in 2026. This prompted a Washington ultimatum: yield or lose the oil propping up the weary nation. Consequently, bread, electricity, and medicine are scarce, leading to endless nights, spoiling food, and darkened hospitals.
January 3, 2026, marked a breaking point, worsening pre-existing woes. Thirty-two Cuban soldiers died in Caracas, returning in wooden coffins amid flags and solemn speeches. Del Valle mourns: "Children who will not return, young people who died far away in a war that did nothing to resolve their mothers’ hunger or our children’s pain".
Fear grips the streets with checkpoints, constant searches, military drills, and heightened repression. Intermittent internet—whether from fuel shortages or to silence cries—isolates people. Opinions split: some urge negotiation, others vow no surrender. In between are parents, children, and the elderly who just want to sleep with a fan and wake without dread.
Del Valle concludes: "I have been fighting for 42 years, and my wish is simple: I want to live." In Cuba, there is no aspirin to cure the cancer eating us alive, but there is no shortage of slogans that poison us every day.
