Related videos:
The recent staging by the Cuban regime regarding the AKM rifle given to the musician Silvio Rodríguez has once again highlighted a constant of power on the island: the priority of political propaganda even amidst a severe economic crisis that is impacting the population.
Everything started with a phrase. “I demand my AKM, if they launch”, Silvio wrote on his blog, referring to a hypothetical military intervention by the United States.
What could have remained mere rhetoric quickly escalated: days later, the artist received a rifle at an official event, later justified by regime spokespersons in the name of "defending sovereignty."
But beyond the symbolic gesture, the economic reality demands a different interpretation.
An AKM-type rifle—or its folding variant AKMS—can be found in the civilian market for between 700 and 1,200 euros, which is approximately 406,000 – 696,000 CUP at the informal exchange rate (580 CUP per euro). This means between 62 and 107 monthly average salaries in Cuba, where income is around 6,500 CUP.
The contrast is even more striking when it comes to everyday life. In the informal market, one liter of oil can cost between 1,500 and 2,500 CUP; a package of chicken easily exceeds 3,000 CUP; and basic products like rice, eggs, or bread have experienced constant increases in recent months. For many families, the salary barely covers a few days' worth of food.
In that context, the issue is not just the value of the weapon, but the entire apparatus that surrounds it: official acts, institutional mobilization, media coverage, and amplification on social networks. Public resources are allocated to reinforce a political narrative while hospitals lack supplies, public transportation is collapsing, and power outages are part of daily routine.
There is also a particularly revealing element. In Cuba, the possession of firearms by civilians is strictly prohibited. The State maintains absolute control over weaponry. Therefore, handing a firearm to a public figure is not an innocent gesture, but a carefully crafted staging: a blend of propaganda, ideological alignment, and a symbolic demonstration of power.
Meanwhile, the population faces another battle, much more urgent and real: survival.
The AKM episode involving Silvio is not really about a weapon. It’s about priorities. About a power that invests in symbols of confrontation while millions ofCubans struggle with scarcity, inflation, and uncertainty. About a discourse that invokes sovereignty but fails to guarantee something much more basic: dignified living conditions.
In a country where the average salary is not enough to fill the pantry, every propaganda gesture carries more weight. And each displayed rifle says less about defending the nation than it does about the neglect of its people.
Filed under: