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Lis Cuesta, the wife of ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, congratulated Cuban women this March 8 acknowledging the "tough times," and criticism on social media quickly followed.
“Congratulations to Cuban women, especially a kiss for my MOTHER, founder of the FMC, who taught me to love VILMA; also to my comrades in causes, to my FEDERATED FRIENDS. These are tough times, but without you, they would be worse,” Cuesta said on X.
The responses came quickly.
"Cuban women do not need your congratulations; we need a life of dignity," a Cuban woman demanded.
Others took the opportunity to remind him that his time in power seems to be running out.
"When shame is in short supply, this is what happens: many congratulations and few actions. Since you love Vilma, ask her spirit because all the hard times the people are facing because of your husband and the mafia of killers in the dictatorship will soon be experienced by you in abundance. We swear to that," said a netizen.
"Oh Machi, enjoy the little you have left, look at how Silita ended up – from luxury to a cell, hahahaha bye, you were loved. We will miss your love poems," another person mocked.
Díaz-Canel's congratulation
The message from Miguel Díaz-Canel for International Women’s Day, shared on the official profiles of the Presidency and the ruler himself, provoked a flood of reactions on social media on March 8.
With the country facing an unprecedented systemic crisis, users' reactions were predominantly characterized by critical, ironic comments and outright rejection of the contrast between the official narrative and the reality experienced by millions of Cubans.
In one of the messages, the leader asserted that engaging in dialogue with Cuban women “always uplifts, emancipates” and defended the “achievements” they have attained during the so-called “revolution.”
In another post he stated that “the light of our days has a lot of woman in it: sensitivity, talent, and commitment to the country's fate,” accompanying the text with a promotion for an interview with a scientist linked to the photovoltaic field.
However, the official emphasis on "light," "sensitivity," and "achievements" immediately clashed with the dark humor and outrage expressed in dozens of comments, many of which focused on the daily dramas of power outages, food shortages, lack of water, and the hardships that particularly burden women.
The most repeated phrase, in various forms, was a question as simple as it was devastating: “Which light?”.
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