Communists are tearing each other apart and admit: “We have the enemy dead, but from laughter.”

A propaganda poster in Holguín, featuring the word "Sorri" instead of "Sorry," not only sparked mockery from hundreds of Cubans on social media but also ignited an unexpected crossfire among communists that highlighted the political communication crisis of the regime.

The trigger was a post on Facebook by Ernesto Almaguer Díaz, featuring an image of the sign located at the intersection of Carretera Central and Avenida Los Álamos. The billboard contains a political message "in English", which sparked a discussion about language and the decline of the educational system in Cuba.

"When you go to make a communist sign in another language, at least do it with good spelling. It's 'Sorry', not 'Sorri'... Do you see how free education can be harmful?" wrote Almaguer.

The post was shared dozens of times and generated a wave of reactions. It seemed like just another episode of citizen mockery, but the debate escalated when the vice president of the Cuban Journalists' Union (UPEC), Francisco Rodríguez Cruz, decided to intervene in a mocking and pretentious tone on social media.

“They fell into the trap and replicated our banner in their pamphlet! How foolish they are! Thanks for that; we 'j0dim0s', ‘sorri’...,” he said on Facebook, adding the post from CiberCuba where the debate on social media about the mentioned propaganda poster is discussed.

Rodríguez's comment made his fans laugh. There was even someone who took the opportunity to point out that "sorri" is a word recognized in the Dictionary of Americanisms and is used to apologize, therefore, the sign is not misspelled.

However, among the supportive comments, there also emerged a harsh criticism that the vice president of UPEC surely did not expect, as it comes from within his own ranks.

The user Raúl Hernández Lima, a journalist for Jit and press officer for the Cuban Football Association, did not hesitate to reveal the deep contradictions of the government's communication strategy. He posted this comment on the official's post from UPEC:

Look at that, I thought the propaganda department was investing money, a lot of money, in conveying a clear, persuasive, and memorable political message that influences public opinion, promotes our ideology, and denounces, in this case, the siege of the United States against our people.

I thought that the content of those billboards aimed to mobilize emotions, appealing to feelings to generate support for our position and our determination to resist the blockade.

I naively believed that those funds were intended to influence the perception and behavior of our people through effective visual communication. I can see now that I was mistaken; it seems we're now playing hide and seek with a bland page that promotes the opposite and, in the process, mocks us for being foolish.

And here comes the vice laughing as if he had won a battle. If this is how the upper echelons of communication are behaving, we might as well merge with the Humor Promotion Center. In short, we have the enemy dead with communication, but with laughter...

The final phrase "We have the enemy dead, but from laughter" summarizes the disaster in the government's communication strategies. The propaganda that was meant to persuade ends up causing confusion and laughter, even within the ideological bloc that is supposedly supporting it.

This episode connects with recent words from Miguel Díaz-Canel, who acknowledged that the island's government was late to social media and faces the challenge of enhancing its political communication in a context it does not master either from an informational or technological standpoint.

Despite this, Díaz-Canel assures that the institutions are preparing to fight until they "win" in the digital environments and that they have a great strength: "the training that the Cuban revolutionaries have who are present on social media."

Episodes like those from the Holguín cartel demonstrate not only that Cuban institutions do not master the language of social media, but also that the government has lost its communication power with the cartels. It lacks a solid narrative, has repetitive and boring messages, and fails to connect emotionally with the people.

Even more concerning: there is not even consensus among the regime's supporters about what and how to communicate what is happening in Cuba. "Sorri" but... what matters to Cubans today is reported by the independent press.

Frequently asked questions about the communication crisis of the Cuban regime and the "Sorri" poster