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The official portal Cubadebate issued a call for the 506th anniversary of Havana, which ended up becoming a parade of critiques on the deterioration of the capital.
The post, made this Thursday on Facebook, invited users to share images of the city under the slogan "Send us your view of the city."
"Every November 16, Havana awakens to celebrate its history. It has been 506 years of streets that tell the passage of time," read the text, which aimed to evoke an emotional response from the audience.
However, the comments revealed a very different reality: a city that, according to the Havana residents themselves, is struggling with trash, building collapses, epidemics, neglect from the regime, blackouts, and abandonment.
“A sad look, caused by the tyrants that crush it”, wrote Darlon Bermúdez, one of the first to comment.
"Whoever has to use Photoshop to clean up the mess in the photos that are coming will get little sleep today," Jorge Bacallao Guerra joked.
For her part, Karen Cano requested: “Let us share the true images of Havana”, while Frank Pérez Pérez lamented: “Havana City, which was the envy of all America, today we are a city in ruins, filled with sorrow and without glory.”
Other users were harsher. “What energy? What people? What Havana? You are a meme,” wrote Tuangel Blanco, referring to the propagandistic tone of the post.
Sandra García Espinosa added sarcastically, “What a tremendous birthday for Havana, with its shining streets and perfectly maintained buildings... they surely painted everything to make it look nice.”
Most of the comments agreed in denouncing the dirt, the drainage issues, and urban collapse.
"Havana celebrates its 506th anniversary filled with trash heaps, broken streets, and propped-up buildings," wrote Edy Meza.
Others were more graphic: “I’m going to send you a picture of the trash bin at the corner of my house,” said Yerena Cordero.
Some, like Rafael Dueñas, nostalgically remembered the time before the regime: “The last 65 years have been the worst for a city that once shone and thrived. Today, communism has left it in ruins.”
Although there were also brief messages of congratulations or nostalgia, the publication from Cubadebate was largely overwhelmed by criticisms that highlight the disconnect between the official discourse and the daily lives of the people in Havana.
"The largest dump is in the Council of Ministers," wrote Jesús Ángel Pérez Gutiérrez, one of the harshest comments, just like Yusmel R. Padron who emphasized: "The revolutionary 'Gaza Strip'," making a metaphor about the level of destruction of what some consider a wonder city.
The call from the state media, which aimed to highlight "the energy of the Havana people," ended up revealing the frustration of a population living in a city that is falling apart while the regime continues to invest in hotels and propaganda.
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