A Cuban identified on Instagram as Kiele posted a video in response to Greta Thunberg last Friday regarding Cuba, in which she counters the Swedish climate activist, who days earlier had labeled the U.S. embargo as a "brutal act of collective punishment" and expressed her support for an international convoy heading to Havana.
The video, titled "A response to @gretathunberg from an Actual Cuban," accumulated almost 39,000 views, over 6,500 likes, and 534 comments in just a few days. Kiele, who describes herself as the wife of an American military member and a defender of freedom, counters Thunberg's arguments point by point with a straightforward message: "We need to talk about what is happening in Cuba right now. What we need to discuss is how you, Greta, need to mind your own business and educate yourself about the reality of what is currently happening in Cuba."
Kiele Alessandra Cabrera is a young Cuban-American who, on May 31, 2021, became the center of attention at the Baseball Pre-Olympic tournament of the Americas in West Palm Beach, Florida, when she stormed onto the field during the Cuba-Venezuela game holding a sign that read "Free Cuba" with an image of a fist in handcuffs -an iconic image related to rapper Maykel Osorbo-.
Student at the University of Florida and daughter of a balsero from the 1994 exodus, Kiele carries the mark of resistance in her family history: her grandfather was tortured by Batista and later rebelled against Fidel, and her grandmother was a unionist opposing the coup. As the police were removing her from the field amidst the massive applause from the stadium, she shouted: "Cubans, do not be afraid, because you have only one life."
The trigger was a public statement by Thunberg on March 12, in which the Swedish activist supported the Convoy Nuestra América, an international initiative scheduled to arrive at the Malecón in Havana on March 21. Thunberg also praised Cuba's medical missions in countries like Angola and Jamaica, and concluded her message with the slogan: "Cuba yes, blockade no!". The convoy is supported by figures such as Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau.
Kiele fundamentally rejects that framing. "The suffering of the Cuban people is a direct result of the poor management of the Cuban State. The Castro regime and its military apparatus are worth billions, while the average Cuban struggles to find scraps of food in the street and survive under the communist rationing system," she states in the video.
Regarding the medical missions, Kiele is unequivocal: "There is extensive documentation that these Cuban medical missions are a cover for human trafficking organized by the State." The TIP Report from the State Department effectively classifies this program as human trafficking, documenting the retention of between 75% and 95% of the salaries of the doctors and the confiscation of their passports.
The Cuban also questions Thunberg's consistency: "Isn't it ironic that the people you say are being strangled by Trump's wars are actually celebrating his military actions?" She accuses her of repeating slogans without understanding the reality: "It's so obvious that you have been trained by your communist handlers to say slogans like 'let Cuba live' and 'stop strangling Cuba'."
The video was published amid a wave of protests that has shaken Cuba since the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras power plant on March 8, resulting in power outages of up to 20 hours a day. Last Friday, protesters in Morón set fire to the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party; this Sunday, residents of Santiago de Cuba yelled "Down with the dictatorship!" and "Freedom!" in the early morning. Justicia 11J estimates at least 760 political prisoners on the island.
Kiele closed her message with a straightforward request: "Do all of us Cubans a favor, Greta, and mind your own business. Long live Free Cuba!".
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