A genius is on the loose: A portrait of Díaz-Canel shows the zombified ruler of Cuba

Cuba, a land of renowned artists, has gifted us a masterpiece of socialist magical realism: a mural portrait of Miguel Díaz-Canel where the artist, with remarkable skill, has managed to capture the spectral essence of the Cuban leader.

The image, which was seen during the military exercise Bastión 2024, decorating the wall of a military meeting room, was captured by a user on social media and leaves no room for doubt: we are faced with the most faithful representation of the heir to Castroism, a leader without soul, without will, and most importantly, without independence.

The genius behind this work — who might prefer to remain anonymous to avoid scrutiny from State Security art experts — has captured with surgical precision the features of a leader who does not lead, a ruler who does not rule, and a president who, indeed, presides… but only on paper.

His empty expression, his gaze lost on the horizon of nothingness, and his inert posture perfectly reflect his mandate: a period of absolute stagnation, where the crisis multiplies and the people survive in medieval conditions while the hierarchs of the Communist Party and the military pull the strings of power.

The most striking aspect of the image is its parallel with reality: Díaz-Canel, like a good political zombie, wanders through the scenes of Cuban misery, reciting scripts from 60 years ago, lacking any capacity for reaction or autonomy.

Next to him, in this pictorial gem of the so-called "revolution," the artist depicted Fidel and Raúl, shaping the idea of "continuity" in the leadership of the totalitarian project founded by the dictator, which has further degenerated, shifting from a unipartisan military dictatorship to a state captured by a Mafia-like "elite" controlled by the army and the business elite of the PCC, along with its family-business network, which ranges from GAESA to the EFE bar.

The image of a "Canel-zombie" at the forefront of a government that has caused the largest exodus in Cuban history, the steepest decline in living standards, the most unjust and devastating inequality, and the destruction of public services has already become a common sight in reports from the state-controlled media and the gossip within the Palace.

Where hunger and despair have become normalized, why be surprised by a portrait that merely reflects reality?

The artist who brought this work to life –ironically, in a figure devoid of its own life– has reached a milestone in the history of Cuban muralism: he has succeeded in immortalizing the essence of Díaz-Canel in its purest form, that of a leader of a “continuity” without autonomy, doomed to wander through the Cuban dictatorship aimlessly, awaiting orders from Raúl Castro and the elite that truly governs the country.

Without a doubt, a genius is on the loose. The author's subtle irony has managed to capture, with rawness and precision, the zombification of a government that clings to outdated rhetoric while the nation crumbles in a perpetual crisis.

With precise brushstrokes, the artist whose work briefly appeared on Cuban television unveiled the reality of a ruler who, rather than leading with his own initiative, has become a puppet of those who truly pull the strings of the country.

Miguel Díaz-Canel, a leader who has lost his essence, his decision-making ability, and his connection to reality, has ultimately become a specter wandering the halls of power without direction or purpose.

Perhaps unwittingly, the "genius" who portrayed him prompted a reflection on the true nature of leadership in Cuba and on who ultimately determines the fate of the nation.

The talent of the anonymous "genius," whom we hope remains "unleashed," managed to capture that government devoid of its own will and unveil the farce of a supposed leadership that, rather than guiding, allows itself to be swept away by currents of interests alien to the well-being of the Cuban people.