Mariela Castro Espín, director of the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), received members of the so-called Our America Convoy on Friday in Havana, an international initiative composed of leftist activists and politicians that promotes actions of solidarity with the Cuban government.
According to reported by Cenesex on its Facebook page, during the meeting, the official explained to the visitors the main missions of the institution and the achievements that, according to the official discourse, the country has reached in the areas of sexual education, gender equality, and human rights.
The meeting also included activists and specialists connected to organizations endorsed by the center itself, including representatives from networks of individuals living with HIV/AIDS and from groups involved in the activism of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people on the island.
According to the institution's report, the situation facing Cuba was discussed during the exchange, attributed to the "escalation of hostile and suffocating policies" by the U.S. government, a point reiterated by Cuban authorities to explain the deep economic and energy crisis the country is experiencing.
For their part, members of the international convoy also shared messages of support for the Cuban government.
A report from the Facebook page Cuba Analysis stated that the delegation traveled to the capital with donations and with the aim of showing solidarity in response to what they described as "imperialist aggression" from the United States.
The visit of these activists is part of a series of meetings held in recent days with officials and institutions of the Cuban state, including exchanges with the ruling Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The presence of the Convoy Nuestra América has sparked strong criticism among Cubans both on and off the island, who are questioning the role of these foreign visitors amid the severe economic crisis affecting the population.
The journalist Yoani Sánchez reacted this Saturday on social media to these visits with a direct message: “We are not a theme park. Go do your ideological tourism somewhere else. We are suffering here.”
The comment reflects a discontent that has also been expressed by intellectuals and citizens who denounce the political instrumentalization of the Cuban crisis.
Earlier, musicologist and historian Rosa Marquetti criticized what she termed the "folklorization of Cuban misery" and questioned international initiatives that, in her opinion, turn the country's situation into a symbolic stage for ideological debates.
Criticism has intensified following statements from some members of the Convoy, such as the former Spanish Vice President Pablo Iglesias, who have downplayed the seriousness of the internal situation or attributed the crisis solely to external factors.
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