Cuban YouTuber and actor in Miami sends message to Cubans on the island: "On the other side of fear is the country we dream of."

The Cuban actor and creator Jonathan Montelongo, known on social media as @joh_wayne7, has moved thousands with a video shared on TikTok and X, where he delivers a direct message to Cubans still living under the communist regime. From exile in Miami, Montelongo shares a personal testimony filled with memory, conviction, and pain.

"If at any moment I tell you to go out into the street, it’s not because I want you to be mistreated, it’s not because I am unaware of the danger, nor because I have forgotten what it feels like; on the contrary, I say this because I was once where you are now. I too felt the weight of repression, the uncertainty, the fear, the censorship, and now that I have experienced what it means to live in freedom, all I want is for you to experience it too," she says at the beginning of her video.

In his reflection, he mentioned the defensive responses that many express and clarified the reasoning behind his stance: “Sometimes it’s easier to say ‘the one who pushes doesn't get hurt’, but, buddy, look at those who are governing you, who are asking you to resist, to endure, to sacrifice... they are neither resisting nor sacrificing, the one who pushes doesn't get hurt but neither are they hurting you.”

He also responded to those who criticize from abroad: "So don't tell me 'come and do it,' as if the problem were solely mine, because if thousands of us could return and be there with you in the streets, we would do it without a second thought. But you know very well that this regime would never allow a plane to land in Cuba with free Cubans determined to support a people, and do you know why? Because they fear us, because they know we are more, because those of us who left also have fire in our souls."

He clarified that many did not emigrate for comfort, but out of a necessity for freedom: “We faced our own fears, left behind everything we knew, we did it in search of freedom, not comfort, and even though many of us are far away, we have not forgotten who we are or where we came from; Cuba hurts us, damn it, you hurt us.”

In his insightful reflection, Montelongo emphasizes that the drive for change must come from within: “There is a truth that needs to be stated clearly and without guilt; it is your responsibility to make it happen from inside, because that is where change begins.”

He also openly rejected any reconciliation process with the regime: “Don’t talk to me about dialogue, because how do you have a dialogue with a system that locks up those who protest, that disappears those who speak out, that kills those who dream? What kind of dialogue can exist between an executioner and a prisoner? That is not dialogue; it is humiliation disguised as diplomacy.”

Acknowledging the fear that paralyzes many, he asserts: “Fear is great, but dignity is greater, and freedom is not begged for, it is won, and the street remains our only voice.”

The conclusion of your message appeals directly to individual conscience: “You, who are surviving on a piece of hard bread. You, whose child goes to bed every night without drinking milk. You, who dreams of a country where one doesn't have to stay silent to survive.”

"With communists, there’s no other way."

The video has sparked reactions from dozens of users who shared their own experiences and emotions. Some expressed gratitude that what many think is being voiced: “Thank you for saying what many do not dare to, even while living in freedom.” Others applauded the frankness of the message: “I totally agree... SHUT UP!”.

There were also those who identified deeply: “I left for freedom and because if I stayed, I would end up in prison. When I was put in a meeting with a puppet of the Party, I couldn’t take it anymore. Enough of justifying and covering up all the lies.”

"Homeland and life, down with the damn communism," wrote another person, while someone else claimed, "If there's a plane for that, I’m in."

From exile, other voices expressed frustration: "It is that way. What more would we want than to go and educate them." Phrases like "Fire against the dictatorship," "There is no dialogue with the dictatorship," and "Freedom must be conquered" were also repeated.

An isolated critical opinion suggested that it was "curriculum for asylum," but this was quickly rebutted by others who pointed out the actor's consistency and the strength of his career.

A familiar face in Cuban activism and digital creation

Jonathan Montelongo, a digital creator and social critic from social media, reported in May 2020, from the island, that he had been summoned by the management of his workplace following his critical posts on social media. “This country is a prison,” he wrote at that time, after receiving official warnings regarding his opinions.

That same year, he was fined for rehearsing in the theater with his mask improperly placed, an episode he reported as part of institutional extremism. “Things like that take away my motivation for everything, man,” he said.

He also participated in a national tweetstorm against ETECSA's prices and reported that state employees were required to share official propaganda on social media. “We were able to flatten the curve of the pandemic, but not the curves that ETECSA gives us,” he ironically remarked at the time.

Known for his satirical tarot reader character on social media, he carried out the project 11:Once, which he abandoned upon permanently leaving Cuba in January 2024. “Cuba is a snowball that is growing in disaster and chaos,” he said when announcing his departure.

After months crossing borders, he arrived in Miami in March 2024, when he stated: “I left because I was scared, because I was in danger... and above all, because I wanted to seize the world and in Cuba, I could barely have a day's bread.”

Since then, he has maintained a strong critical stance from exile. Today, he combines his experience as an actor with a direct message of condemnation: "I am the one who believes in you, who trusts in your strength. But the first step has to be taken by you."

Frequently Asked Questions about Jonathan Montelongo's message to Cubans on the island