I stopped understanding each other. Myself. What did we want? For Sandro Castro not to show off the Mercedes he has, with the needle that marks the Benz engine, dad, the Benz engine, the little toy he has at home that has to be taken out every so often?
Sandro has not come to show us something we didn't know. What surprises us? What is it that truly astonishes us? Is it the Mercedes, Sandro’s poise, his authenticity, his ease, his audacity? In the end, is Sandro less hypocritical than we are? What do we want from him? Do we want him to take his Mercedes and not flaunt it on social media, not throw it in our faces? Should he continue behind the scenes with his business at the Fantaxy or Efe bar and not dress up as Superman for Halloween? I find it difficult to casually label people with terms like “stupid” or “spoiled.”
In this, we find common ground with Israel Rojas, and if that’s the case, something is not right. Israel Rojas would have preferred that Sandro stayed hidden, that he did not once again highlight the government he defends. Honestly, what are we waiting for? Should we have expected the son of Prime Minister Manuel Marrero not to post on Instagram the pictures he takes while traveling on a private jet? What is the difference between seeing and not seeing? Don’t we know, even without seeing? Is a video of Sandro really necessary for us to understand the stark inequality in Cuba, which for the past sixty years has been divided between the Castro family (and their cronies) and the rest?
The third generation of the Castros (and let's include all the surnames that have long benefited from power in Cuba) is seeking justice for their ancestors. This third generation has social media, which is a significant change. It's not that we didn't already know their parents or uncles were taking private yachts to Greek islands. The third generation of the Castros is more in touch with reality; they resemble us more, even if it may not seem that way. They get into a car, record themselves, and then post it to their Instagram stories, just like we do. And that is telling.
The grandchildren of Castro are his burden. They resemble us more than their grandparents. We do not grasp a truth with Sandro Castro's video, but rather Sandro comes to remind us of that truth so that we never forget it.
Entonces me cuesta entender el asombro. Me cuesta entender el asombro ante la canción de Raúl Torres. Ya la esperábamos, ya la sabíamos de memoria. Me cuesta entender el asombro cuando recientemente el Clasificador Nacional de Actividades Económicas en Cuba anunció que Journalism is among the prohibited activities.for the private sector in Cuba. When has it not been? When was it not? When did we not know that journalism was illegal and that Sandro Castro had his Mercedes Benz?
The only astonishment I understand is the astonishment at the cries of Anyell Valdés’s children, at the desperate screams of former prosecutor Yeilis Torres Cruz, at Javier Larrea’s desperate weeping over the poisoning death of his dog. On top of this, add the long list of unjustly imprisoned individuals, the summons, the interrogations, the injustices, and the toll this takes on those who endure it. From then on, the actions of the Castros, Sandro, and those in power should not come as a surprise. I would ask them not to wear themselves out and to be prudent. But in the end, who am I to ask anything of them?
Filed under: