What began as a simple idea to "de-stress" amidst the daily pressures in Cuba has turned into a project that now unsettles the regime and sparks hope among thousands of Cubans both on and off the Island.
This is how young people linked to the independent project El4tico expressed themselves during an interview shared on Instagram by the account sirvete_un_cafe, where they recounted how the initiative emerged, transforming over time from a personal hobby to a sort of platform for reflection and denunciation regarding the reality of the country.
According to reports, it all started when one of them, a licensed mathematician, received a family suggestion to create educational videos. However, the real motivation was neither financial nor professional.
"I said: I'm going to venture into this, but I'm going to take it up to relieve stress... I came in a cube. We have to do something," he confessed.
The young man also acknowledged that the project, in its early stages, served as a form of emotional therapy.
"It also initially served for therapy, those things... look at how that depression is," he said at one point in the conversation, revealing the psychological burden that many Cubans face on the Island.
But the strongest testimony came when they spoke of the meaning that El4tico was acquiring over time: a message of political and social transformation.
"They stated that it seems possible to achieve a transition, a change in Cuba, that truly works for Cubans this time."
The phrase resonates particularly strongly in a context where the regime has intensified repression against critical voices. Just recently, the creators of El4tico were detained following an operation by State Security, which included a raid on the home where they produced content and the confiscation of electronic equipment.
The case has sparked complaints and reactions both inside and outside of Cuba, as concerns grow about the fate of the young people who, in their own words, only aspire to a "beautiful" country built "for the benefit of Cubans."
What began as a personal escape has turned into a direct statement: the desire for real change in Cuba remains alive, even among those who are just starting to raise their voices.
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