A Cuban identified as @elcalvo0161 has sparked a wave of reactions on TikTok after a video went viral in which, during a family conversation, he passionately defends his decision to continue sending help to his friends in Cuba.
"You don't know how to value what true friendship is," he is heard saying. "When I was 16 and faced my first problem, when I ended up in jails and prisons, those people welcomed me with open arms. We shared a loaf of bread among 20 people... no one does that here on the street," he recalled with enthusiasm.
The man insists that he does not regret helping those who were with him during his worst moments: “I have to support them because they were with me in difficult times. I don't mind working a day at Uber and sacrificing myself so they can have a little piece of meat on December 31.”
Their words sparked a debate. A woman, seemingly part of the conversation, responded: “Why don’t you go out on the streets in Cuba?” But social media quickly reacted: “And did you go out when you were there?” replied one user. Another added: “She surely only went out for the May 1st march.” Among the thousands of comments, there was a range of opinions: “That’s gratitude and values, which are almost nonexistent now”; “Brother, friends are not forgotten, period”; or “That man speaks from the heart, not from politics.”
Most, however, sided with the “Calvo”: “Only those who have experienced hunger understand what loyalty is,” wrote a supporter. Another summed it up with a comment that went viral: “Help comes and goes, but the friends who shared their bread with you when you had nothing stay forever.”
With thousands of views and a wave of support, the "Calvo" video turned into something more than just a simple discussion: for many Cubans both on and off the island, it was a reminder that gratitude — that old-school quality of those who endured hardship — still exists.
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