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Miguel Díaz-Canel's wife, Lis Cuesta, stirred controversy on social media again after posting a Christmas message in which she did not congratulate the Cuban people, but instead spoke about the "solidarity" that is lacking during this season.
On his X account, he wrote: "Because dates like these should represent SOLIDARITY, from everyone and for everyone, but that is not the case."
The comment was accompanied by a link to an article by the government intellectual Abel Prieto, titled Encounters and Disencounters with Santa Claus, in which the former Minister of Culture criticizes Christmas symbols of American origin and calls for the promotion of a "revolutionary, anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, and anti-imperialist perspective."
Cuesta's words contrast with the harsh reality faced by millions of Cubans this Christmas, marked by food shortages, prolonged blackouts, and an increase in extreme poverty.
Amid an unprecedented economic crisis, many users criticized the president's wife for speaking about solidarity while the government she represents implements policies that have deepened inequality and social neglect.
"That's right, Lis. I’m waiting for Díaz-Canel to be filled with solidarity and gift me a Cartier or Rolex watch for Christmas. Where do you all get so much money for those extravagances?" replied an internet user.
Others criticized the ideological tone of the message, pointing out that while in other countries the holidays are celebrated with hope and family unity, in Cuba the official discourse insists on associating Christmas with "capitalist consumerism." They emphasize that, paradoxically, the children of communist leaders celebrate these days in the United States and Europe, like Lis's son who lives in Spain.
"Lis, how long will your cynicism last? Don’t you know that Díaz-Canel's idol (Fidel Castro) banned those parties because he said they were for the bourgeois? He prohibited them for the people, but not for his family. Do you finally have your Spanish passport to go see your son in Spain? Do you realize how insolent you can be?"
The text by Abel Prieto, shared by Cuesta, denounces the proliferation of Santa Claus figures in shops in Havana and laments that "Yankee" Christmas symbols are replacing the "Martian and revolutionary perspective."
However, on the streets of Cuba, the most visible face of Christmas remains that of extreme poverty, of scarcity, of devalued wages, unreachable prices, and an increasingly sad population that is more dependent on remittances.
Lis Cuesta once again highlights the divide between the elite in power and the citizens, just as Cubans face another year-end with empty tables and absent hope.
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