A Cuban economist publicly acknowledged the existence of poverty and begging on the island during a recent episode of the program En Línea, broadcast by the provincial telecentre Perlavisión in Cienfuegos, at a time when the regime is facing significant controversy regarding the official handling of these social issues.
In the television space, Andrés Martínez Ravelo, introduced as a university professor, stated that it is not enough to talk about "vulnerability"; instead, there are poor people and beggars in Cuba, even though official figures minimize that reality.
There is vulnerability, there is poverty, and there is beggary. And we do not say this as a term, but because these are elements that have repeatedly appeared in Cuba's reports before the United Nations for three years,” he emphasized.
The economist clarified that the data reported by the State, which indicates that less than 1% of the population is poor, should not be used merely as "display numbers" before the UN, but rather as a basis for designing public policies.
“That number cannot be a display number. It has to be a number to establish public policies and, above all, to ensure transparency,” he stated cautiously.
Martínez Ravelo recalled that surveys on household income and expenditure, as well as the population census, reveal structural issues such as homes with dirt floors, lack of sanitary services, and low family incomes—indicators that highlight the persistence of poverty in the country.
These television statements come just weeks after Prime Minister Manuel Marrero acknowledged in Parliament that more than 310,000 people currently live in poverty or social vulnerability in Cuba, contradicting the reports presented at the United Nations that spoke of minimal levels.
This official recognition came after the national controversy sparked by the former Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, who claimed that in Cuba “there are no beggars,” but rather “people in disguise,” whom she also labeled as “drunks” and “mimickers.” Her words provoked such public outrage that the Political Bureau of the Communist Party and the Council of State accepted her resignation days later.
A country in crisis
The televised debate in Cienfuegos also addressed the need for the economic crisis to become an opportunity to reassess priorities and support the most disadvantaged.
“If there is one, it is already a concern, and if there are many, it is a tremendous concern,” acknowledged the academic, who, according to the official newspaper 5 de Septiembre, where he also writes, was the director of the Municipal Statistics Office in Cienfuegos and a member of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (Anec). He insisted that statistics should reflect the real conditions faced by Cubans and not serve solely as an international showcase.
The public recognition of poverty and begging in a provincial state medium reflects the gap between the official discourse and the everyday reality of the island, where more and more citizens depend on charity, remittances, and daily survival in the face of scarcity and the deterioration of basic services.
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