Once a byword for joyful excess, Havana has been hollowed by blackouts, departures and deep uncertainty about its future.

There are so few cars in Cuba¡¯s capital that it is possible to cross the Malecon, the once bustling seafront promenade, without looking.

At night, the narrow cobbled streets of Old Havana are enveloped in inky black, devoid of power and virtually deserted.