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Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel, reappeared on social media this September 8 with a religious message following her return to the Island, amid an electrical collapse that left millions of Cubans in the dark in the eastern part of the country.
“Today, let us give thanks to the Virgin of Cobre, Patroness of Cuba, for watching over all of us, her children,” she wrote on her X account, in a pious tone that contrasts with recent images from her tour in Asia alongside Díaz-Canel, where she was depicted smiling at official events, wearing eye-catching dresses and luxury accessories.
The publication by Cuesta coincided with the day when the death of a young worker at the Renté thermoelectric plant in Santiago de Cuba was confirmed, a victim of serious burns suffered in a workplace accident.
The event has reinforced the perception of hypocrisy in the messages of the so-called "not first lady," who is out of touch with the daily lives of Cubans suffering from power outages, sweltering heat, and food shortages.
It is not the first time that her statements have generated outrage. In 2022, when the Island was facing another wave of blackouts, she wrote that she had “her heart in scrub mode due to the overwhelming blackouts,” which triggered a barrage of criticism from users who questioned how the president's wife could experience power outages in her official residence, which has guaranteed access to electricity, cooling, and supplies.
Cuesta's reappearance now, after accompanying Díaz-Canel in Vietnam, China, and Laos, is interpreted as an attempt to connect with popular sentiment through religious references.
However, many consider it an empty gesture, disconnected from the reality of a people who see neither divine protection nor good earthly management in the constant failures of the National Electric System or in the deterioration of their quality of life.
The contrast between the privileged life of the ruler's wife and the sacrifices of the majority of Cubans is once again laid bare, reigniting the outrage that her social media messages provoke.
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