An elderly woman from Velasco, in the province of Holguín, went viral after appearing in a video passionately defending the "revolution" while receiving humanitarian aid sent by a Cuban in the United States.
The material was recorded and originally shared by Adonis David Martínez, a Cuban living abroad who organized a fundraiser to assist those affected by Hurricane Melissa in his hometown.
In the video, the elderly woman expresses her loyalty to the Cuban system: "From the FAR, the MININT, and nobody can take my revolution from me, not even on my knees... I have ten children, the fidelista blood of my children is here, they are not opponents, nor hustlers, nor resellers."
Then he adds: “I don’t kill anyone because they say that Jehovah doesn’t want the dead and Fidel didn’t want the dead either, but if there’s a war here now, I want them to give me a weapon so that I don’t leave behind anyone who tells me that Fidel is an idiot. No. We have to love Fidel.”
The video, shared by CiberCuba Noticias on Facebook, received over seven thousand reactions and thousands of comments within a few hours. Many users expressed astonishment or indignation at what they saw as a contradiction between the woman's words and the actual source of the aid, while others called for respect for her age and beliefs.
Among the comments, messages such as “It doesn't make me laugh at all, it's more like sadness for me; she belongs to another generation, and her mind is stuck in the past,” or “I wouldn’t give her anything to see if the revolution gives her something” can be read. Other users joked, “I'll bring the bottle of oil right there and tell her to wait for hers at the warehouse.” There were also more conciliatory voices that defended the donor's intention: “He is giving it to her out of humanity; he isn’t interested in what she says, these are not moments for politics, but for solidarity.”
In a previous video, Adonis David Martínez explained that his goal was to assist the families most affected by the passage of the cyclone: “This afternoon, the distributions will take place, thanks to you for all the donations, those who contributed both here and back in Cuba, and also the people who helped, individuals from Mipymes and others.”
The young man detailed that the initiative included 250 packages containing rice, oil, mortadella, sugar, salt, and picadillo, and that the intention was to distribute them in various areas of the town, including Corea, Reparto Varona, Calle 20, Las Aguadas, and Cuchita. In his posts, Martínez thanked the neighbors for their cooperation and asked them to inform him about critical cases so that he could provide the donations. His solidarity initiative was recognized by many Cubans both inside and outside the island for bringing hope to a community affected by the hurricane.
The original video featuring the elderly woman is no longer publicly available on the author's profile, although it continues to circulate on social media, where it has sparked an extensive debate about the influence of political indoctrination and the social reality of the elderly in Cuba.
The aid arrives in a critical context following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which caused severe flooding and damage in the area. Neighbors in Velasco tried to save their belongings through tears while denouncing the lack of alerts and state support during the emergency, amidst one of the worst storms recorded this year in eastern Cuba.
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