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Hundreds of left-wing activists from the United States, Europe, and Latin America descended on Havana this weekend, meeting with communist officials, staying in upscale hotels, and traveling in air-conditioned buses as ordinary Cubans grapple with widespread blackouts and severe shortages of basic necessities.<\/span><\/p>\n The \u201cNuestra Am\u00e9rica Convoy,\u201d also called the \u201cOur America Convoy to Cuba,\u201d brought roughly 650 delegates from 33 countries and more than 100 organizations to the island, transporting about 20 tons of humanitarian aid, according to organizers.<\/span><\/p>\n Delegates arrived by air from countries including Italy, France, Spain, and the United States, with additional participants traveling by sea in a flotilla from Mexico. Some activists arrived earlier in the week, delivering supplies to hospitals in advance of the main delegation.<\/span><\/p>\n Some delegates were reportedly housed in high-end accommodations, including five-star hotels, while others were seen traveling in air-conditioned buses and attending official meetings with Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel at government facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n Large portions of the island have experienced prolonged blackouts, with outages in some areas stretching beyond 20 hours a day. The country\u2019s fragile infrastructure has been pushed to the brink, leaving millions struggling to access food, water, and medical care.<\/span><\/p>\n The Cuban government and activists have blamed U.S. energy restrictions, particularly moves by Donald Trump to target oil shipments, for exacerbating the island\u2019s economic collapse. Organizers framed the convoy as a direct challenge to what they describe as \u201ccollective punishment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot allow this,\u201d said David Adler of Progressive International, one of the groups behind the effort. \u201cWe cannot normalize it.\u201d Cuban officials echoed that message, with Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fern\u00e1ndez de Coss\u00edo insisting that the country\u2019s political system is \u201cnot up for negotiation\u201d in any talks with Washington. At the same time, critics argue the regime\u2019s decades of centralized control and economic mismanagement have played a central role in the island\u2019s long-running hardship.<\/span><\/p>\n The optics of foreign activists enjoying stable electricity and modern amenities while locals endure daily deprivation have drawn sharp backlash, particularly from Cuban exiles. \u201cThis is a gigantic mockery of the entire Cuban people,\u201d said Mayra Dominguez, a Cuban living in exile in the United States, to the <\/span>New York Post<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe left visits Cuba as if it were a party at a zoo and they go to admire the misery from a luxury hotel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cuban artist Salom\u00e9 Garc\u00eda Bacallao, now based in Miami, similarly criticized the government for welcoming foreign delegations while many Cubans remain barred from returning home.<\/span><\/p>\n The convoy includes a mix of activists, political figures, and organizations from across the global Left. Among them is leftist streamer Hasan Piker, who broadcast<\/a> from Havana to his large social media following while promising to produce additional \u201ccontent\u201d from the trip.<\/span><\/p>\n Other participants include international political figures such as Jeremy Corbyn and representatives from leftist parties across Latin America and Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n