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A video of women washing clothes with a stick and a plastic jug during a blackout in Matanzas drew reactions from social media users, who commented on the effort the task requires, shared personal experiences and debated the method used.
The clip was shared by Cubanos por el Mundo on Instagram, which placed the scene in La Pinta, Matanzas. In it, one of the women wryly presents the improvised “washing machine,” explains how much effort it takes and questions whether it is fair to have to wash this way.
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In a still from the video, two women stand beside several containers on the ground. One of them holds a long stick with a white plastic vessel on one end. Behind them, several garments hang to dry.
Reactions to the video of the blackout in Matanzas
The post asked followers what solutions they have had to improvise in their own communities during the blackouts. Reactions ranged from sadness to dark humor. “When I washed by hand in Cuba my hands would bleed,” wrote one user. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” said another, while a third commented: “The saddest thing about Cubans is that they laugh at their own misfortune.” One user attributed the situation to “the results of communism.”
The video also drew ironic comments about the device. “Does it have a delicate cycle?” one person asked. Another called it the “Soviet Russian Washer 3000,” while a third dubbed it “Ritmo Pilón.” One user called the method “original” and suggested: “Patent it.”
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Opinions on washing clothes by hand
Not everyone agreed with the way the video was framed. One user questioned the procedure and asked, “Why don’t they just wash by hand?” Another recalled that her mother washed by hand and said she herself had done so until she was 40, adding that the tool shown wasted detergent. One commenter asked whether the video and audio had been created with artificial intelligence; the shared post offers no information to verify that possibility, nor does it identify the women who appear in the recording.
Blackouts in Cuba: the context behind the video
The scene spread amid the crisis of the National Electric System. For peak demand on October 21, the Electric Union (UNE) estimated an availability of 1,017 MW against demand of 2,950 MW and forecast an impact of 1,963 MW, according to the UNE’s official report published by Cubadebate (in Spanish).
Matanzas is home to the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the country’s largest single generating unit. It went offline the night of October 20, just a day after being synchronized; it returned on October 21 but disconnected again on October 24 because of turbine vibrations. Breakdowns at the plants and the generation deficit translate into prolonged outages across much of the island.
Read this story in Spanish: Mujeres lavan ropa con un palo y un pomo durante un apagón en Matanzas.
Related (opinion): Is Trump to Blame for Cuba’s Blackouts? The Castro Regime’s Responsibility
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