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In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the so-called "Special Period," the Cuban regime is keeping its machinery for official events, congresses, and fairs intact for the year 2026.
The official government calendar —titled "Eventos Cuba 2026"— includes over 280 activities organized by nearly all State institutions, from the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of Agriculture, covering Tourism, Sports, and Public Health.
While Cubans face daily blackouts, chronic shortages of food and medicine, rampant inflation, and salaries that barely cover a week’s expenses, the ministries are preparing to host international congresses, symposiums, fairs, and festivals in luxury hotels such as the Nacional, the Meliá Varadero, or the Habana Libre.
The contradiction is striking: the country is sinking into precariousness, yet the state apparatus behaves as if the island remains a tropical showcase for tourism and propaganda.
According to the official document, the Ministry of Culture (MINCULT) and INDER account for the majority of the activities, with around 150 events between the two.
The International Book Fair, the Havana Biennial, the Latin American Film Festival, the FIART Crafts Fair, and the Marabana–Maracuba event are listed on the calendar alongside more than 40 foreign participation sports tournaments.
Behind these events, material resources, accommodations, transportation, fuel, and personnel are mobilized in a country where hospitals lack basic supplies and schools can barely provide meals for students.
The official strategy is clear: to maintain the illusion of normality and attract foreign currency through "international" conferences that, for the most part, serve more to enhance the country's image than to generate significant income.
Each ministry seeks to gather some dollars in exchange for accommodation, registration fees, or controlled exhibitions, but the logistical and promotional costs end up being much greater than the benefits.
Meanwhile, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel and his cabinet insist on the rhetoric of "creative resistance," appealing to the people's sacrifice, yet without cutting a single privilege from the state apparatus.
In this propaganda machinery, the figure of Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Díaz-Canel and "not the first lady" of the regime, stands out as she has played an active role as a coordinator and promoter of events for the MINCULT in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR).
Cuesta Peraza has organized exclusive meetings, gourmet festivals, cultural fairs, and "elite cultural tourism" circuits aimed at diplomats, like-minded entrepreneurs, and foreign officials, in hotels and resorts under the control of GAESA.
Their presence at events like Varadero Gourmet, Art and Fashion, or the activities of the Paradiso agency highlights the regime's attempt to project a sophisticated image of Cuba while the people struggle to survive amid blackouts and long lines.
The persistence in organizing such events —in four and five-star hotels, with the support of the agencies Havanatur, Cubatur, and Paradiso, all under the control of GAESA— demonstrates the complete disconnect between the leadership and the national reality.
For its part, the Ministry of Economy and Planning, responsible for approving each public expenditure, permits and supports these initiatives, confirming that the regime's priority continues to be self-promotion and political survival, rather than economic recovery or citizen well-being.
With this calendar, the Cuban regime seeks to project an image of stability and cultural openness to the outside world, while in reality, the country is experiencing a silent humanitarian emergency.
Public investment in fairs and conferences is, in fact, an unacceptable luxury in a state where millions of people depend on remittances or informal bartering to survive; and where schools, hospitals, transportation, and other public services are in complete disarray.
While hotels prepare to welcome foreign delegations, Cubans will continue to face blackouts, shortages, garbage in the streets, and epidemics.
Instead of confronting the crisis, Díaz-Canel chooses silence and spectacle, hiding his head in the sand like an ostrich pretending not to see the disaster he helped create.
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