Soon after US special forces kidnapped Nicolás Maduro from Caracas, Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel said his people were prepared to “give their blood, even their lives” to defend Venezuela and Cuba’s revolution.
At the Bleco lounge bar in central Havana — where the servers have sculpted physiques, wear risqué outfits and conspicuous consumption is the norm for the few Cubans who can afford to spend a month’s state salary on a pizza — that kind of revolutionary sacrifice seemed unlikely.
“Hard times are coming,” said Roberto Hernandez, a 34-year-old Cuban who now lives in Spain and was visiting family. “But look at what is here already: it’s a complete negation of socialism, everyone is enjoying themselves, while outside people scrape for a living by snorkelling through piles of garbage.”