The independent project El4tico, made up of young Cuban activists and creators, launched a new video on social media analyzing the nature of totalitarian power in Cuba and denouncing the corrupt and repressive nature of those who have governed the country for over six decades.
“Power in Cuba is not based on valor, but on fear”, stated a member of El4tico (@erejun_peo), combining a reflective tone with social denunciation. “Most of those in power are not brave; they are fearful rats. They fear losing control, they fear being judged, they fear that the people will rise up one day, and I say rise up because they have them on their knees now.”
The message delved into the logic of authoritarianism and described how the leaders' fear turns into repression. "Power becomes a shield: the more they exercise it, the less accountable they have to be."
The video also explained the phenomenon known as "moral dissonance," a type of cognitive dissonance that creates tension or psychological discomfort in individuals when they hold two contradictory ideas, beliefs, or values, or when their behaviors do not align with their beliefs. In summary: when those who cause harm need to continue believing that they are good.
The video also condemned that, in closed systems like the Cuban one, "empathy becomes an inconvenience" and rulers stop seeing the population as individuals, viewing them instead as a mass that needs to be controlled.
The speech concluded with a phrase that has resonated on social media: “They prefer to be hated rather than vulnerable. They prefer to continue maintaining the old story of the misunderstood hero than to accept what they really are: a mafia that traffics in the suffering of a people.”
The material has been widely shared by activists and users both inside and outside of Cuba, who celebrate its moral strength and courage in the face of totalitarian censorship.
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