Satire once again ignited Cuban social media this week after actor and comedian Andy Vázquez, known for his character Facundo Correcto on the television show 'Vivir del Cuento', posted a humorous image titled “New Cuban National Currency” on his Facebook page.
The post showed a 50 pesos bill featuring the face of Donald Trump and a 5 pesos coin marked with the inscription “Patria y Vida – 2026”, again displaying the face of the Republican magnate on one side. The image was accompanied by a brief but ironic comment: “Look at that.”
But Vázquez's joke—a blend of humor, current events, and subtle criticism—provoked the outrage of Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and one of the spies from the failed Wasp Network.
From his official account, Hernández Nordelo elaborated in a text where he accused Vázquez and other exiled artists of being "spongers, opportunists, and sycophants." Without mentioning Andy directly, the message clearly targeted him:
"There are Cuban artists who decide to 'cross the pond'—for whatever reason—and upon arriving in Miami, they try to live peacefully from their art, without letting the 'taliban' hurt their dignity too much. Some succeed. But—unfortunately—this is a certainty: the more opportunistic and self-serving they were in Cuba, the more they will be forced to crawl for the rest of their lives, seeking daily forgiveness from their inquisitors in order to make a living."
The message generated a wave of reactions. Many users responded in defense of Andy, reminding that his exit from Cuba in 2019 was a direct consequence of state censorship, after he was suspended from television for a satirical video about the opening of the Cuatro Caminos market.
Others pointed out Hernández Nordelo's double standards, as he uses his official position to publicly attack independent artists and exiles on social media.
"Shut up, sir, this guy is a walking meme!"; "You're charging more here on Facebook than what your government pays you"; "You can't eat dignity, tarrú!" were some of the nearly 500 responses that Hernández Nordelo received.
Meanwhile, Vázquez did not directly respond to the attack. His original post — which had already garnered thousands of interactions — remained without additional comments, which many interpreted as a sign that the comedian prefers to let the irony speak for itself.
The episode once again highlighted the price that many Cuban artists have paid for exercising their creative freedom. Andy Vázquez was expelled from national television in 2019 after making jokes about a commonplace subject that the authorities deemed "politically sensitive."
Censorship not only took away his professional space but also marked the beginning of a forced exile. Vázquez left for the United States fearing he would be "regulated" —prevented from re-entering Cuba— leaving behind a successful career, his family, and the country where he had built his popular character.
His journey was similar to that of thousands of Cubans who cross borders in search of something as fundamental as the right to speak without fear.
That is why Hernández Nordelo's mockery—who, from the security of his position and the comfort of his power and privileges, labels a man who has lost everything for thinking differently as "a sycophant"—is both malicious and cruel.
The paradox is that, while Andy Vázquez has had to rebuild himself in exile with hard work, talent, and humor, the marshal of the "local snitching" clings to a worn-out narrative that even the few who applaud him no longer believe.
The former spy, now a mediocre repressor of the cedrist Castroism, mocks those who "live off the story," without realizing that the real story is his: that of a so-called "revolution" that has long since lost credibility and is sustained only through insults, slogans, and fear.
Humor, on the other hand, remains the most powerful tool to challenge the decaying narrative of the regime. Andy knows this. That’s why his “imaginary currency” ended up being worth more than Gerardo the Bitter's bile: because sarcasm, when it stems from truth, always has a better outcome than propaganda.
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