‘Survive, nothing more': Cuba's elderly live hand to mouth
HAVANA: With a monthly pension barely sufficient to buy 15 eggs or a small bag of rice, Cuba's elderly struggle to make ends meet in one of Latin America's poorest and fastest-aging countries. As the communist island battles its deepest economic crisis in three decades, the state is finding it increasingly hard to care for some 2.4 million inhabitants - more than a quarter of the population - aged 60 and over.
Sixty is the age at which women - for men it's 65 - qualify for the state pension which starts at 1,528 Cuban pesos per month. This is less than $13 at the official exchange rate and a mere $4 on the informal street market where most Cubans do their shopping. 'Fight for life, for death is certain,' vendor Isidro Manuet, 73, told AFP sitting on a sidewalk in the heart of Havana, his skin battered by years in the sun, several of his front teeth missing.
'I manage to live, survive, nothing more,' he said of his meager income that allows him to buy a little food, and not much else. As he spoke to AFP, Manuet looked on as small groups of people walked by his stall carrying bags full of food. They were coming out of Casalinda, one of several part government-run megastores that sells goods exclusively to holders of US dollars - a small minority of Cubans. Most rely instead on informal stalls such as the ones Manuet and other elderly Cubans set up on sidewalks every morning to sell fruit, coffee, cigarettes, candy, used clothes and other second-hand goods.
Near Manuet's stall, 70-year-old Antonia Diez sells clothing and makeup. 'Things are bad, really bad,' she sighs, shaking her head. Many of Cuba's elderly have been without family support since 2022, when the biggest migratory exodus in the country's history began amid a crisis marked by food, fuel and medicine shortages, power blackouts and rampant inflation. More beggars can be seen on Havana's streets - though there are no official figures - and every now and then an elderly person can be spotted rummaging through garbage bins for something to eat, or sell.
The Cuban crisis, which Havana blames on decades of US sanctions but analysts say was fueled by government economic mismanagement and tourism tanking under the Covid-19 pandemic, has affected the public purse too, with cuts in welfare spending. As a result, the government has struggled to buy enough of the staples it has made available for decades to impoverished Cubans at heavily subsidized prices under the 'libreta' ration book system. It is the only way many people have to access affordable staples such as rice, sugar and beans - when there is any. Diez said she used to receive an occasional state-sponsored food package, 'but it's been a while since they've sent anything.'
'No future'
This all means that many products can only be found at 'dollar stores' such as Casalinda, or private markets where most people cannot afford to shop. According to the University of Havana's Center for Cuban Economic Studies, in 2023 a Cuban family of three would have needed 12 to 14 times the average minimum monthly salary of 2,100 pesos (around $17) to meet their basic food needs. Official figures show about 68,000 Cubans over 60 rely on soup kitchens run by the state Family Assistance System for one warm meal per day.
At one such facility, 'Las Margaritas,' a plate of food costs about 13 pesos (11 dollar cents). Pensioner Eva Suarez, 78, has been going there daily for 18 months. 'The country is in such need. There's no food, there's nothing,' she told AFP, adding her pension is basically worthless 'because everything is so expensive.' Inflation rose by 190 percent between 2018 and 2023, but pensions have not kept pace. Some are losing faith in communism, brought to the island by Fidel Castro's revolution, and its unfulfilled promises such as a liter of subsidized milk for every child under seven per day.
'I have nothing, my house is falling apart,' said Lucy Perez, a 72-year-old economist who retired with 1,600 pesos (about 13 dollars) a month after a 36-year career. 'The situation is dire. The nation has no future.' It's not just the elderly suffering. Cuba was rocked by unprecedented anti-government protests in 2021, and students have been rebelling in recent months due to a steep hike in the cost of mobile internet - which only arrived on the island seven years ago. In January, the government announced a partial dollarization of the economy that has angered many unable to lay their hands on greenbacks. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
11 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Bangladesh pushes solar to tackle energy woes
DHAKA: This aerial photograph taken on June 27, 2025 shows solar panels installed on the rooftops of the buildings in Dhaka. -- AFP DHAKA: Bangladesh's caretaker leader has ordered all government institutions including ministry buildings and schools to install solar panels to ease chronic power problems in a country regularly hit by deadly heatwaves. The South Asian nation of 170 million people has set itself a target of generating 20 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2030 -- a four-fold increase -- and rising to 30 percent by 2040, the government said in a statement. 'Bangladesh is lagging far behind its neighboring countries', the statement issued by the office of interim leader Muhammad Yunus read. 'Only 5.6 percent of our total requirement is currently met from renewable sources,' it added, noting that in neighboring India, it is 24 percent and in Sri Lanka, nearly 40 percent. The government's rooftop solar program will see all government offices, schools, colleges and hospitals installed with panels immediately, the statement issued late Thursday said. The micro-finance pioneer said the panels would be installed and operated by private sector companies, unlike the largely failed push by since-ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to install panels by using government power agencies. 'The private sector will handle overall maintenance and keep the systems operational for their own business interests', the statement said. 'The government will only provide them with rooftop access'. The government has also initiated tender processes for 55 solar power plants with a total 5,238 megawatts capacity. Bangladesh relies heavily on importing cross-border power from neighboring India, as well from Nepal, especially when demand soars during the blistering heat when consumers rely on energy-hungry air conditioners to keep cool. Dhaka also began construction of the Russia-backed nuclear plant at Rooppur in 2017. The much-delayed 2,400-megawatt project will be Bangladesh's largest power station by generating capacity once fully operational. –AFP
Kuwait Times
14 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Windswept island brings a taste of Croatia to the world
From Croatia's mainland, most of Pag looks inhospitably grey and rocky, but the island's lunar-like landscape is key to producing its delicious staple. Paski sir, the distinctive, hard Pag cheese, as it is known in Croatian, is the highly-prized product of herb-grazing sheep that cling to the rugged terrain in the face of fierce Adriatic winds. 'It contains the very essence of this island,' Martina Pernar Skunca, the marketing manager of the oldest cheese factory on Pag, told AFP. Located 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of the coastal city of Zadar, the island of Pag hosts around 40,000 woolly locals - about five times its human population. Grazing freely, the fluffy flock feast on various herbs and aromatic plants, including sage, lavender and curry plant, all coated in sea salt whipped up by bora winds - giving the cheese its world-famous flavour, Pernar Skunca from the Paska Sirana cheese factory said. Aged for at least 60 days and often compared to Italian Pecorino Sardo or Spanish Manchego, it boasts a marble texture and savoury flavour that becomes spicier with maturity. 'In our blood' Founded in 1946, Paska Sirana - which makes around 80 tons of its star product annually - still purchases most of its milk from families living on the island. 'Our ancestors have always done it; it's in our blood, and we cannot do without it,' said Marin Valentic, who runs the small Skrivanat cheese factory using methods almost unchanged for generations. At Gligora Sirana, one of the island's most acclaimed factories, manager Ruzica Gligora agrees that family tradition is key to the cheese's success. Sheep in a pen waiting to be milked at the Paska Sirana cheese factory livestock department. Sheep in a pen waiting to be milked at the Paska Sirana cheese factory livestock department. A cristal Taste Award from 2012, the most valuable award of the Gligora family, displayed at Gligora Cheese factory. Foreign workers in Croatia put cheese into molds by hand at the production facilities. Foreign workers in Croatia mix pasteurized milk for cheese production in a large boiler at the production facilities. Sheeses ripen on wooden shelves at the "Paska sirana" in the town of Pag on the island of Pag. Pasteurized milk is discharged into a large boiler for cheese production. Foreign workers in Croatia put cheese into molds by hand at the production facilities. A foreign worker in Croatia cuts cheese into square shapes in a large boiler at the production facilities. Ruzica Gligora, manager at the award-winning 'Sirana Gligora' cheese factory, shows a ring of Pag cheese in Gligora Cheese factory in town of Kolan. Ruzica Gligora shows a ring of Pag cheese in Gligora Cheese factory. An old Renault 4 car, in which the Gligora family collected sheep's milk for cheese production, in front of the Cheese shop on the Gligora estate in the town of Kolan. Different types of Pag cheese in the fridge at the cheese shop on the Gligora family estate in town of Kolan at the island of Pag, Croatia. This aerial view shows sheeps grazing the grass at the 'Paska Sirana' cheese factory livestock department, outside the town of Pag on the island of Pag. World Cheese Awards displayed at Gligora Cheese factory. This aerial view shows sheeps drinking water from a small lake at the 'Paska Sirana' cheese factory livestock department. 'From the very beginning, when my father-in-law Ivan Gligora founded the factory, he had the idea of making the best cheese in the world,' she said. Their founder's goal seems to have paid off, with Michelin-starred chefs from the International Taste Institute describing Gligora's Paski sir as a 'pure delight' that 'brings full and complex flavours to the palate and melts nicely in the mouth'. In recognition of Paski sir's value, the European Union has afforded it a Protected Designation of Origin status, shielding it from copycats in the same way as champagne. 'Hard job' However, cheese makers say that milk production is decreasing annually as the industry competes for workers against Croatia's booming tourism sector. Around 20 million tourists a year flock to Croatia, drawn by its stunning coastline and picturesque cities, but its population of 3.8 million is struggling to keep up. Alongside tourism, farmers can be tempted to focus on a less labour intensive speciality of the island - Pag lamb. 'Pag is a beautiful touristic place, and gives a lot of opportunities to earn money in an easier way,' Pernar Skunca said. 'This is a hard job, since in the production season from January to June, no matter what is happening in one's life or weather conditions, sheep need to be milked twice a day.' The conditions can be brutal with winter gusts from the Velebit mountains hammering the island, sometimes reaching over 200 kilometres (124 miles) per hour. Producers say interest in the cheese is only growing, with all varieties - some infused with cherry, others matured for 24 months - in demand. 'Everyone wants to try it, to learn why it is so special,' said Valentic, who has a flock of around 120 sheep. The 40-year-old farmer welcomes the demand but stressed that Pag's unique landscape only offers so much grazing land. 'We are simply limited by the capacity.' — AFP
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Art market banking on new generation of collectors
The global art market is not immune to current economic and geopolitical tensions, and is counting on a new generation of collectors to revitalize the momentum. Some big transactions were concluded last week during Art Basel, the world's top contemporary art fair, notably by London's Annely Juda Fine Art gallery, which sold a David Hockney painting for between $13 million and $17 million, without disclosing the exact price. The David Zwirner gallery sold a sculpture by Ruth Asawa for $9.5 million and a Gerhard Richter painting for $6.8 million. However, prices did not reach the heights achieved in 2022, when the art market was in full swing. Back then, a sculpture by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois was purchased for $40 million. 'The market is certainly softer,' Art Basel's chief executive Noah Horowitz told AFP, though major sales still happen at such fairs 'despite, somehow, all that's going on in the world'. Switzerland's biggest bank UBS and the research and consulting firm Arts Economics prepared a report for the fair. According to their estimates, the art market slowed in 2023, then fell by 12 percent globally in 2024, to $57.5 billion, with the decline particularly affecting works valued at more than $10 million. 'In the next six to 12 months, I don't see any changes on the horizon,' said Hans Laenen, an art market specialist at insurer AXA XL. In a time of economic and geopolitical uncertainties, 'investors are turning very strongly to gold', he told AFP. In the art sector, behavior is 'more conservative' among both buyers and sellers, who prefer to wait before putting works on the market in the current climate, he continues. 'The number of transactions is increasing,' but in 'lower price segments,' he noted. According to the insurance firm Hiscox, the number of lots sold for less than $50,000 increased by 20 percent in auction houses in 2024, while very highly priced works saw a sharp drop, indicating a change in collector behavior. A visitor walks past 'Gobbler, 2025' by French artist Caroline Achaintre. Visitors stand next to 'Gesture to Home, 2024', a work by Haitian-American artist Didier William. An work by Belgian visual artist Hans Op de Beeck entlited "Zhai-Liza (angel), 2024". Visistors walk past an art work by German contemporary artist Thomas Schuette entlited "Weepin Heroes" on display at the gallery Peter Freeman during the Art Basel fair for Modern and contemporary art. Visitors walk past the artwork "Into the Woods to Lose Our Way, 2025" by South Korean artist Hyunsun Jeon. A visitor looks at the artwork "Da geht sie, die Leseratte one to six, 2025" (There she goes, the bookworm one to six,' 2025) by German contemporary artist Cosima von Bonin. A visitor looks at artwork entitled "Bodies circling fire, 2025" by Swiss artist Andriu Deplazes. A visitor walks past artwork entitled "Forward 2015-2016" by Russian artist Erik Bulatov. A visitor has a close look at the artwork "Untitled 2019-2021" by Greek postwar and contemporary artist Antonis Donef. Visitors walk past the artwork "In God We Trust, 2020" by Danish contemporary artist Danh Vo. Visitors walk past the artwork "Testimoni (2009)" by Italian sculptor, painter and printmaker Mimmo Paladino. A visitor walks past the artwork "Evidenza di 987, 1978" by Italian artist Mario Merz. A visitor face the artwork "Periodic Sights, 2025" by Lebanese Canadian visual artist Joyce Joumaa, awarded by the 2025 Baloise Prize, at the booth of the gallery Eli Kerrhq during the Art Basel fair. New generation According to Jean Gazancon, chief executive of art insurer Arte Generali, a younger generation of collectors is entering the market. 'We are insuring more and more 30-somethings for collections of 300,000, 500,000, or a million euros,' he noted. 'These are successful start-uppers, investment bankers, lawyers, or sometimes people who have inherited,' and they begin their collections 'very young', sometimes making 'very radical' choices, he said. UBS expects that trend to increase. According to its projections, an unprecedented wealth transfer will take place over the next 20 to 25 years with the general ageing of the population. Globally, around $83 trillion in assets will change hands, it says, meaning 'there's a whole new generation of collectors coming to the market with different buying patterns', said Eric Landolt, global co-head of the family advisory, art and collecting department at UBS. The four-day Art Basel fair, which closed on Sunday, featured more than 280 galleries presenting works by around 4,000 artists. It is a must for collectors, who can buy everything from Pablo Picasso paintings to very recent works. The Thaddaeus Ropac galleries notably offered a portrait of Pope Leo XIV by the Chinese-French artist Yan Pei-Ming. It also highlights young artists, such as Joyce Joumaa, 27, who jointly won the 2025 Baloise Art Prize for her work focusing on the energy crisis in Lebanon. — AFP
