The content creator Alejandro, known on social media as @literalmente_cubano, touched a deep chord with Cubans through a video that serves almost as a collective chronicle of life on the Island.
There is no need to show images of endless lines or eternal blackouts; it is enough to walk the streets of the capital and articulate what millions of people experience daily and have come to accept as routine.
"We have become accustomed to scarcity, to waiting in line, to the power outages, to hopes being postponed," says Alejandro in his message.
Cuba has gradually become a place where the abnormal has become customary, where surviving has replaced the act of living. Scarcity, waiting, and resignation are no longer seen as problems; they have become part of everyday life.
The video does not shout or accuse; it reflects. It speaks about how Cubans have adapted to everything, even to what should not be acceptable. It is a testimony to how this adaptation, necessary for survival, also comes with a tremendous emotional cost.
“Surviving is not enough,” Alejandro recalls as he describes the silence that prevails in Cuba, akin to the apparent calm in the eye of a hurricane.
The influencer has launched an audiovisual series in which he shares, from his perspective, what these changing times in Cuba are like. He narrates a feeling that many Cubans experience but don't always know how to express.
His videos serve as a symbolic countdown. They promise neither dates nor miracles, but make it clear that getting used to things cannot be the final destination for this people. A country is not built on mere endurance, but by regaining the ability to imagine a different life.
Filed under: