The Cuban entrepreneur Sandro Castro, grandson of the late dictator Fidel Castro, announced in his latest broadcast of Notisandro that he will launch his own reference rate for the informal currency market in Cuba, following weeks of attacks against the independent media outlet elToque, which he blames for the rise of the dollar on the island.
In a video posted on his Instagram account, Castro appears dressed in black, wearing dark glasses and with a solemn tone, while he burns a document with the elToque logo and claims that Cubans must "be the decision-makers of the price" and not rely on what the media publishes.
"Well, as I have explained to you before, we cannot allow ourselves to go into a panic at the first red flag. We are the clients; he merely reflects a price back to us, and we must be the ones to decide the price, not him," the young entrepreneur declares before lighting the paper with a lighter.
Amid theatrical gestures, Sandro continues: “I’ve already explained this to you, son, don’t be stubborn (...) we have to be very smart. Although we will also have reference rates, from which I will come up with one. Remember, gentlemen, we are the decision-makers, not them.”
The message —despite its humorous format— marks a discursive shift: for the first time, Sandro Castro explicitly states that he will create his own exchange rate, which suggests an attempt to intervene in the dynamics of the informal market or, at the very least, to symbolically influence it.
A growing confrontation with El Toque
The conflict between the dictator's grandson and the independent media outlet elToque has been escalating for several weeks. At the end of last October, Castro blamed the site for the increase in the dollar and proposed creating a business association to control the exchange rate in the informal market.
Shortly after, he lashed out again forcefully against the platform, which he described as a “dark elite” that “artificially manipulates” the value of the dollar to enrich itself at the expense of the people.
The response from elToque was swift: the media denied the accusations and accused Castro of trying to divert attention from the true perpetrators of the black market for currency. “If we follow Sandro Castro, those who want to take on the role of leaders in the informal currency market are its main players,” the publication replied, pointing to entrepreneurs close to the regime as the primary beneficiaries of the illegal exchange system.
The confrontation reached a new level of tension when, following the controversy, the director of elToque, José Jasán Nieves, became a victim of a repudiation act in Mexico orchestrated by supporters of the Cuban regime. This incident sparked outrage among journalists and activists, who viewed it as an extension of the harassment that the regime practices within the island against independent press.
Between mockery and political intention
The new video from Notisandro continues that narrative, though wrapped in a parody format. Between segments of “cultural news” and “sports news,” Castro intersperses political phrases with a mocking tone, but laden with intent: “we have gas,” “don’t be stubborn,” or “we are the ones deciding the price.”
However, the segment in which he announces that "he will issue his own rate" was taken on social media as a declaration of intent. "I will issue one," he repeats, looking at the camera and pointing the lighter at the burning paper with the elToque logo, in a symbolic gesture of defiance.
The confrontation between elToque and Sandro Castro reflects a deeper struggle between the economic elite connected to the regime and the independent spaces that transparently document the crisis. While elToque continues to publish rates based on verifiable data, Castro insists that economic power should be concentrated in those who "purchase dollars in large volumes," meaning the private entrepreneurs authorized by the system itself.
In a context of uncontrolled inflation, chronic shortages, and the devaluation of the Cuban peso, Sandro Castro's attempt to establish himself as an economic reference highlights the increasing struggle for narrative and symbolic control over the currency exchange market on the island.
Filed under:
