Humorist Rigoberto Ferrera mocks official acts in Cuba following Maduro's capture



A video by Cuban comedian Rigoberto Ferrera is circulating on social media, mocking the political mobilizations driven by the regime. The clip uses a popular joke to sarcastically comment on the confusion and direction of those marches. The satire follows an event led by Díaz-Canel in defense of Nicolás Maduro.

The comedian alludes to the urgent actions that the Cuban government called for regarding MaduroPhoto © X/Presidencia Cuba and Facebook/Rigoberto Ferrera

A video from the Cuban comedian Rigoberto Ferrera, shared on his Facebook profile, pokes fun at the official marches, amidst the public support from the Cuban government for the regime of Nicolás Maduro following his capture in the early hours of January 3rd.

In the brief audiovisual that is widely circulated on social media, Ferrera satirizes the political mobilizations organized by the Cuban regime, using a popular joke with a strong double meaning to describe the confusion and bewilderment surrounding those calls.

"And we will continue to hold marches until they return...; these people are like a blind person in an orgy, who knows they’re going to be taken care of, but doesn’t know from where," comments Ferrera with a very illustrative metaphor.

Although Ferrera does not mention specific events, the phrase used in the video inevitably evokes the mass marches organized by the Cuban regime in 2000 during the so-called "Elián case," when the return of the young rafters' child became the focal point of a sustained political mobilization, portrayed at the time as a unanimous expression of the people and now remembered as one of the largest exercises of street propaganda by the power in Cuba.

The comedian's comment also refers to the emergency protests called by the Cuban government following Maduro's capture on January 3 during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela.

In particular, the satire connects with the act led by the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel at the José Martí Anti-Imperialist Tribune, where he described the detention of the Chavista leader as an act of "state terrorism" and reaffirmed Cuba's unconditional support for the Venezuelan regime.

The official discourse, laden with anti-American rhetoric and historical slogans, contrasted sharply with the country's internal situation, characterized by power outages, shortages, inflation, and growing social unrest.

That dissonance has been a recurring target of humorous critique on social media, where creators like Ferrera use satire to question the official narrative without resorting to direct political discourse.

The images from the event in Havana and similar mobilizations in various provinces showed gatherings organized by state institutions, with students, workers, and activists called upon from workplaces and educational centers.

In light of that display, Ferrera's video contributes to a series of digital reactions that ridicule the staging and call into question the spontaneity and true purpose of those marches.

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.

CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.