A reel posted this Sunday on the Instagram profile Fuera de la Caja poses an uncomfortable question to the leftist activists who arrived in Havana with the Flotilla Nuestra América: if they admire Cuban socialism so much, why do they return to the capitalism they claim to hate?
The video, which gathered almost 3,000 views and over 1,200 likes in just a few hours, is a direct response to the arrival of the convoy organized by the Progressive International.
The convoy brought together around 500 activists from 30 countries, including Jeremy Corbyn, former British Labour leader; Pablo Iglesias, founder of Podemos and former Spanish vice president; Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib; and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The flotilla transported between 20 and 50 tons of food, medicine, and solar panels valued at $500,000.
The main vessel, nicknamed 'Granma 2.0' by its critics, set sail on Thursday from Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico, with 25 activists on board and arrived in Havana on Saturday and this Sunday.
The vessel departed from Mexico loaded with humanitarian aid amidst significant media attention.
Mariela Castro joined the festive floats of the convoy on Saturday, in an image that many Cubans critical of the regime considered revealing of the true nature of the event.
There were those who pointed out that the presence of figures from the Cuban government contradicted the supposed humanitarian spirit of the initiative.
The reel does not question humanitarian aid itself, but rather the hypocrisy of those who defend communism from the comfort of free countries. As critical voices point out, Cuban socialism was a historical scam that has left the island in a situation of extreme inequality, far from the ideal that these activists claim to defend.
Critical reactions to the flotilla have not been limited to social media. Garry Kasparov responded harshly to the initiative, while others pointed out that traveling to Cuba in luxury hotels and then returning home to capitalist countries is, at the very least, contradictory to the message these activists preach.
The question posed by the reel resonates strongly among ordinary Cubans. According to recent data, only 3% of Cubans identify as firmly socialist, which contrasts with the ideological enthusiasm of foreign visitors who come to the island to celebrate a system that is largely rejected by its own citizens.
"Very nice everything, but in a few days they will return to the capitalism that they say they hate so much."
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