Cuba Resists: an Interview With Journalist Boris Luis Cabrera

Boris Luis Cabrera, 53, is a veteran Cuban journalist who writes in a style clearly influenced by the cinematic, new journalism of the 1970s. He covers a wide range of topics and, for the last 10 years, has worked as a sports reporter for the Cuban press agency, Prensa Latina. I met him in February, 2026, when I arrived home from working for TeleSur in Caracas, Venezuela, to discover that two more beds had been placed in the journalists apartment I was staying in in the city’s Chacao quarter. Cabrera was in town covering the Latin American and Caribbean baseball championship. Like the other Cubans staying there, I noticed him having constant conversations with friends and family back home, to stay up to date on the effects of the US government’s criminal attempt to starve the island nation, who’s government it has been trying to depose for 65 years. A few days after he arrived back home, I got in touch to find out how things were going. The following interview is a result of that conversation.

Brian Mier: Can you describe what a typical day is like in Cuba right now?

Boris Luis Cabrera: An average day in Cuba today is marked by concrete material tensions: scheduled blackouts due to energy deficits, difficulties in obtaining certain foods and medicine, and limited public transportation due to shortages of fuel and spare parts. These problems cannot be analyzed in isolation from the structural impact of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States, which limits access to credit, makes imports more expensive, and penalizes third countries that trade with the island. It is not just about internal shortages, but about systematic external pressure that shapes daily life. Nevertheless, education and healthcare remain universal and free, which makes a substantial difference compared to many countries in the Global South. So a typical day now revolves around material hardship, community support networks that we have set up to overcome them, and a strong culture of resistance.

Mier: What are your friends and family doing to cope with all of the difficulties?

The collective response has been diverse. Many resort to family cooperation strategies: sharing food, organizing joint purchases, exchanging services. Others have bet on local productive initiatives, private or cooperative ventures, within the margins allowed by the current economic model. These responses should not be interpreted as “adaptation to the market,” but as forms of popular resilience in the face of external economic aggression and a hostile international environment. There is also a growing internal debate on how to perfect the socialist model, make it more efficient, and combat distortions such as inflation and excessive bureaucracy.

Mier: For several years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Cubans faced food and fuel shortages. This time is now remembered as the “special period.” You seem old enough to remember those years. How do they compare to the period of US-imposed hardship that you are undergoing right now?

Cabrera: The so-called “Special Period” began after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Cuba lost its main trading partner and source of energy supply. That era was marked by prolonged blackouts, severe food shortages, and a sharp drop in GDP.

The population weathered the crisis with a mix of extreme austerity, creativity, and social organization. There was widespread use of bicycles, urban agriculture, and solidarity networks in the neighborhoods and in workplaces.

Compared to today, many consider the psychological impact of the Special Period to have been more abrupt and profound. However, the current moment has created complex challenges due to a combination of factors including the tightening of the blockade, the post-pandemic global crisis, and internal economic tensions. The key difference is that back then there was a clear expectation of recovery supported by a different international environment; today the geopolitical landscape is more uncertain.

Mier: Over the last 6 decades, Cuba has developed the reputation as a country which has shown an impressive amount of solidarity with other peoples and nations in the Global South. During the Cold War, it also received support in its defense against US aggression from historic allies Russia and China. Now that Cuba is in a moment of need, why aren’t more countries reaching out to provide food and fuel?

Cuba has developed a recognized policy of international solidarity, sending medical brigades and technical support to dozens of countries. The limited current aid from some allies is not interpreted as abandonment, but as a result of their own economic limitations and geopolitical pressures.

Many countries face sanctions, energy crises, or financial dependence on multilateral institutions dominated by Western powers. Furthermore, the extraterritorial nature of U.S. sanctions discourages banks and companies from interacting with Cuba, even when there is political will.

Mier: What do you think is going to happen now? How is Cuba going to be able to survive this criminal blockade?

The international denunciation of the blockade as a violation of international law and the principle of peoples’ right to self-determination will continue. Every year, the UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly against this policy. We expect that a combination of diplomatic pressure, international solidarity, and internal transformation, including greater economic efficiency, productive decentralization, and the fight against corruption, will enable Cuba to sustain its sovereign project. More than a passive waiting period until the end of the blockade, this vision emphasizes the need to strengthen Cuban socialism from within, diversify alliances, and maintain social cohesion as the country’s main political capital.

This first appeared on De-Linking Brazil.

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