The Cuban digital creator Anita, known on social media as "Anita la cubana", shared an emotional testimony about her first Christmas away from Cuba, which quickly went viral online.
"My first Christmas outside of Cuba was more than I could have imagined. In Cuba right now, I would have been worried about what I was going to eat, what I could buy, as my money wouldn’t stretch far enough. And yet, here I had the opportunity to be in a free country, where I can go out and buy whatever meat I want, as much as I want, or buy a cake. Today I feel free, I feel happy," she shared in the video recorded from her new home in Costa Rica.
The young woman, who recently emigrated with her partner and child, also talked about the difference between celebrating the holidays in the island and doing so in a country where, in her words, "people can enjoy without fear or scarcity."
"I feel like for the first time I'm going to celebrate and I'm going to know what Christmas is. I don't know if you know this, but Christmas is not celebrated in Cuba; most people don't even have money to buy a little piece of meat or decorate their homes with some lights," said Anita.
In her message, she also expressed sadness for those who remain on the island. “Today, I can only think of my loved ones, of how many people didn’t even have a single plate of food to eat, who spent their Christmas without power, without water, without joy, and without hope. It’s sad, it’s true, but I also feel extremely proud because I got my family out of that hell we were living in. I hope that all Cubans can one day know what it truly means to celebrate Christmas.”
The video, accompanied by the message "This was my first Christmas outside of Cuba," received thousands of supportive and reflective comments.
Among the comments, many users wished him happiness and blessings. "God bless you and give you much happiness," wrote one of them. "It makes me so happy to see that many manage to get out and live their lives with dignity," said another. Several emphasized the importance of valuing freedom: "Merry Christmas, there's nothing better than living in a country where you don't have to ask for permission for anything."
Others were moved by his testimony: “I don’t know you, but I feel happiness for you and your family”; “You really don’t appreciate many things until you see these kinds of videos.” There were also messages of hope: “One day Cuba will be free,” wrote one person, while another added: “All countries deserve freedom and prosperity. Let’s keep praying to God for a miracle for Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.”
On TikTok (@anita.cubanita06), where the video garnered over 175,000 likes, a debate also emerged. Some users expressed empathy and understanding: "What sadness, but also what joy to see you free." Others, however, shared differing viewpoints: "Ask the United States to lift the blockade," commented one; while another replied, "They always bring up the dictatorship, but don't dream of it, that's never going to happen in Mexico."
The influencer had previously shared her migration journey from Cuba to Costa Rica, where she arrived with her partner and child after passing through Nicaragua, in a testimony published in another one of her videos. At that time, she mentioned that the reality shock was "too hard." "I had never seen so much food together. Knowing that there are so many things that you can't even see in your country," she expressed back then.
Anita expresses her gratitude for living in freedom in Costa Rica and having access to things that were unimaginable in Cuba. Many users say that her testimony encapsulates the feelings of thousands of Cubans who have had to leave their country in search of a better life.
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