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A post from Cubadebate on Facebook, encouraging participation in a poetry contest honoring Fidel Castro, has sparked numerous criticisms and rejection comments, reflecting the growing public fatigue with official propaganda and the cult of personality surrounding the late leader.
In the message, the official media invites its readers to pay tribute to the "man who understood and defended throughout his life culture as the soul of the nation," through décimas, "the stanza of the people," as part of the tribute activities leading up to his centenary in 2026.
The post, however, was met with a majority of critical responses, many of which were filled with irony, sarcasm, and frustration. "Cuba is in total decline, the culture of hunger, blackouts, lack of water, and medicine, only they don't want to admit the reality of Cuba," wrote one user. Another commented: "Take care of that TV, because I’m not missing Palmas y Cañas."
Some took advantage of the competition format to turn it into a protest. "I, teacher, have a poem... Oh commander, how can I not remember you, in every blackout night, in every day without water, in every empty pot that echoes in the houses, in every child who cries for a glass of milk..." published an internet user, signing as "the Cuban people."
Other messages were more direct: “A damned being who deceived a nation,” “The bastard who stole and destroyed Cuba,” or “The only thing we can ask of that criminal is a prayer to the Devil so that he never lets him go.” Among the social criticisms, one stood out: “More than 70% of Cubans are suffering from arboviral diseases, over 80% without electricity, without food, without medicine… And you’re eating well with Fidel!”
There were also comments that contrasted the heroic tone of the call with everyday reality: "In 66 years, they haven't been able to ensure that Cuban children have a simple breakfast like bread with eggs and a glass of coffee with milk to go to school," noted a reader. "With so much hunger around…," wrote a user.
The general tone was one of outrage and mockery. “#DownWithFidel, may he remain a stone for centuries,” wrote one user. “Now we have to pay tribute to Satan,” another joked. A woman summed up the feelings of many: “What a shame.” Only a few supportive messages, such as “#FidelForever,” appeared among dozens of critical responses and sarcastic comments.
The reactions to this announcement add to a general atmosphere of discontent towards state propaganda. In recent days, regime publications have elicited similar responses, as happened when Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that "principles cannot be eaten", provoking hundreds of comments that questioned his disconnection from reality.
The pattern of distrust repeated itself when Doctor Francisco Durán was criticized for lying about the fumigation against dengue, or when the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces published "we only brought our dead" to recall the intervention in Angola.
In Bayamo, the displays of devotion to the leader have also sparked controversy. During the Fiesta de la Cubanía, military personnel paraded with a Fidel Castro cap inside a glass urn, and days later, locals performed a spiritualist ritual where they invoked "Father Fidel" during National Culture Day.
The contrast between propaganda and the everyday reality of the country—marked by blackouts, scarcity, and discouragement—is clearly reflected in online comments. On social media, where censorship wanes, official poetry confronts another voice: that of a people who no longer write odes, but demands.
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