Cubans react to the call for the 506th anniversary of Havana: "There is nothing to celebrate; it is sad, dirty, and sick."

The call disseminated by Cubadebate on Facebook to celebrate the 506 years of Havana sparked an avalanche of critical and sarcastic comments from Cubans who denounced the deterioration, the trash, and the collapses that define everyday life in the capital.

The official media invited users to send photographs of the city to the portal's email, along with a brief description, to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of Havana this November 16. "It has been 506 years of streets that tell the story of time, of squares that guard the memory, and of a people who, with their energy, keep the city alive," the publication stated.

However, the response was overwhelmingly one of indignation. Dozens of internet users reacted with irony and criticism: "It truly looks 506 years old," wrote one; "Let’s share the real photos of Havana," added another; while a comment that went viral encapsulated the general sentiment: "506 years of plazas where endless garbage piles rise, places in darkness and nights without light, not due to a lack of electricity, but due to a lack of dreams and hopes."

Other users were more blunt: “Havana is a barracks that can’t even be compared to concentration camps”; “Currently, Gaza looks better”; “That photo is from before 1959, show one from today”; or “The dirtiest city in 506 years.” Many agreed that “there’s nothing to celebrate” because “Havana is sad, dirty, dark, and sick.”

Among the longer messages, several questioned the initiative of the state media, considering it a mockery of the actual situation in the capital. "The most incredible thing is seeing the official media of socialism asking for photos through a Gmail account, the platform of the empire they supposedly fight against," noted one comment. Others described the urban landscape in detail: broken streets, garbage dumps, propped-up buildings, darkness, and neglect. "The city that was a symbol of the Caribbean has ended up being turned into a museum of decay," wrote another user.

The discomfort expressed on social media coincides with the recent controversy generated by the official newspaper Granma, which claimed that ‘Havana is moving towards a model of an intelligent and sustainable city’, also provoking a wave of criticism, sarcasm, and mockery from Cubans who contrasted that discourse with the reality of blackouts, accumulated trash, and a collapsed transportation system.

Public figures then joined the outrage. The comedian Ulises Toirac sarcastically remarked that "the city will send an alert: 'The location of the ETECSA tower is terrible because half of the coverage goes to the fish,'" while the writer Wendy Guerra described the official newspaper's message as a "lie" and a "smokescreen," urging Cuban journalists "not to lie about the terrible crisis that Havana is experiencing."

Both publications—the one on the "smart model" and the recent photography call—reflect the disconnect between state propaganda and the daily experience of Cubans, characterized by scarcity, blackouts, lack of transportation, and urban neglect.