Cuba | In the dark

A street during a power outage in Havana Photo: Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP Last weekend the time changed in Germany; In Cuba it would happen next week. Were. Because Cuba is foregoing the change to standard time this year and is sticking to summer time. The government justifies the move with the tightening of the energy blockade by the United States. Since the clock remains set forward one hour, the sun sets later according to the official time. Through less artificial lighting and more solar power, the government hopes to save electricity in the evening hours, when demand is highest.

Speaking of electricity deficit. A few days ago there was no electricity in part of my apartment. I really mean no electricity, i.e. not a shutdown - because everyone else in the house had electricity - but a technical problem. There was a problem somewhere between the electricity meter and my apartment.

In all my years in Havana I've learned a little bit about the craftsmanship, but I still don't dare tackle the electrics. The electrician I trust, on the other hand, lives in La Lisa - basically at the other end of the city from Centro Habana, which is very far away in a city of two million like Havana, especially given the current transport problems. So it was canceled as a quick solution.

If you have problems with your electricity meter, we recommend contacting the state electricity provider Unión Eléctrica, or UNE for short. So the official way. Calling and waiting for a technician is a problem in Cuba. So it's best to go straight there. Luckily, the nearest UNE office is close by.

But I can see the long queue from afar. I speak to a worker in a UNE shirt who is busy with his smartphone in front of the building and describe my problem to him. The UNE is not responsible for the electricity meter in the apartment, he says; This would probably have to be solved privately. Since I would rather have power back today rather than tomorrow, I don't mind. Two of his colleagues are coming with me.

Boycotted by the USA for decades, socialist Cuba is fighting for survival. Andreas Knobloch reports from Havana how that feels. All texts are available here.

The three check the fuses in the apartment, the electricity meter, the cables - without success. Until they notice that a piece of cable is missing from the facade. Two smooth cuts. Stolen around five meters. On the black market, 1,000 to 2,000 pesos are paid for a meter, says one of the electricians. The disconnected cable brings in the equivalent of around six to twelve euros - a lot of money in Cuba.

The theft must have happened when the electricity was turned off, because if there was electricity it would be impossible to cut the cable, says the electrician. At first I suspect the painter brigade. Downstairs in the house, a Mipyme, as the new private companies are called in Cuba, wants to open a bakery and has had the facade repainted. With the painter's scaffolding, the cables would be easy to reach. But then more cables would probably be missing; It's also been a few days since the painting campaign. They were probably ordinary thieves who struck under the cover of darkness.

A neighbor joins in and says that several houses on the street have been broken into. Probably the same night as the cable theft. A television was stolen from one apartment and a fan from another. A resident was startled and scared the intruders away with loud screams, he says. The number of break-ins and thefts is increasing. This is also a new reality of the crisis. Luckily I have a spare cable in the apartment and at least my damage was repaired quickly.

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