A Cuban woman in Brazil has sparked a strong reaction on social media after posting a video in which she openly defends the need to discuss politics and freedom, despite the criticism and private messages she claims to have received urging her to remain silent. The video was shared on TikTok on her profile @studiodaysantoya.
"Many Cubans have privately written to me, concerned about the current situation of Cubans here in Brazil," he begins by saying in the video. He explains that some have asked him not to comment on events that took place in Boa Vista and Manaus.
The young woman rejects that stance and asserts that the damage caused by the system in Cuba has been profound: "They have inflicted such an anthropological and visceral harm on us that many Cubans prefer temporary comfort to complete freedom."
In one of the most shared fragments of his speech, he asserts: “Enough already, to talk about politics is to talk about dignity, to talk about politics is to talk about humanity, to talk about politics is to discuss the real reasons that made us emigrate, to talk about politics is to speak about the people we had to leave behind—mother, father, child, sibling—people we never embraced again.”
It also denounces that trying to silence opinions is a way of restricting rights: “When we try to control what someone else thinks, what they say, what they ask or question, we are interfering with that person's full freedom, and I am a free woman, which is why I say what I want.”
In his reflection, he questions the idea of stability based on silence: "Can one indeed build stability at the expense of others' freedom? Can stability be constructed without there being full freedom?"
It also emphasizes that individual cases of success do not represent the general reality: “The fact that some have had privileges, even during the crisis, does not mean that it reflects the reality of an entire people,” and adds that “just because some benefit from the country continuing this way, it doesn’t mean that’s what we all want.”
At another point in the video, he makes a direct criticism about the situation of Cubans outside the Island: “It’s no secret that Cubans lack dignity outside of Cuba; it’s no secret that we are treated like dogs.”
It also highlights the economic impact of migration in transit countries: “The government of Guyana has lined its pockets with our emigration, the government of Mexico has lined its pockets, the United States itself has lined its pockets, every country that Cubans have had to pass through has lined its pockets.”
Although he acknowledges that he may be speaking "from the comfort" of his residence in Brazil, he insists that fear cannot restrict freedom of expression: "If we stay silent, if we remain submissive, if we don’t express what we think out of fear of reprimand or being denied a damn document, we will continue to endure like dogs in these countries."
And it concludes with a statement that has been widely replicated on social media: “Talking about politics is not talking about politicians; it's talking about a people who have lost their dignity, who have lost their freedom, and where, apparently, many are losing their humanity.”
The video has received dozens of comments, mostly in support. Among them are messages like: “I agree with you,” “it’s exactly as you say, my life, you are absolutely right,” “it had to be said and it was said,” “Blessings, free Cuba, homeland and life,” “This is how a Cuban woman speaks with courage. My respect for this lady,” and “I’m Venezuelan and I agree.”
Other users wrote: "Say what you want, however you want, and let it slide when reason speaks, ignorance suffers," "Well done, very clear and coherent," "Clearer than water. Blessings, fellow countrywoman," and "That's right, you are absolutely correct."
Most reactions support their call to not remain silent in the face of fear or social pressure. The debate is taking place against the backdrop of the complex migration scenario that thousands of Cubans are facing in Latin America, where economic stability and legal status coexist with political tensions and the deep wounds left by family separation and the crisis on the Island.
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