“I need liquid ibuprofen and acetaminophen, please,” wrote one user. “It’s urgent, it’s for my 10-month-old baby.”Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc.
With shortages and economic turmoil at the worst they’ve been in years, the online marketplace “has exploded,” Torres said. While wealthier Cubans — or those with families sending money from abroad — can afford more lavish items, many basic items remain unaffordable for people like Leonardo, a state-employed engineer who asked that his real name not be used because he fears retribution from the government.
With the money he’s earned from his sales, Leonardo has been able to buy soap and food, as well as antibiotics and vitamins for his elderly parents. They kept the site design simple, similar to Craigslist, to match the island’s sluggish internet. But in 2008 — the same year the government lifted a ban on sales of personal computers — it blocked access to Revolico. The ban remained in place until 2016. In the meantime, Pena and Centelles used digital tools and different host sites to jump the firewall.Heriberto, a university student in 2008, was able to access it through a small monthly internet package given to him by the school.