The Cuban influencer Fiu Fiu (Rayner Tamayo) starred in one of the most emotional moments of the reality show El Desorden de Marko, breaking into tears and pleading for help for Cuba with a choked voice and visibly moved.
The scene left no one indifferent. Not even Marko Pérez, the creator of the program, who could not hold back his tears while listening to the testimony of the Cuban.
Fiu Fiu entered the show making it clear that his participation would be linked to the demand for the freedom of Cuba: "I have a whole country that is dying and crying out from hunger, that needs freedom." Even when other participants criticized him for insisting on the topic during the show's activities, he responded without backing down: "You are asking for content, I am asking you to help me save thousands of children who are dying."
In the viral video, Fiu Fiu breaks down while discussing how he learns, one by one, about the deaths of acquaintances in Cuba while he is away from the island. He mentions the case of parents who cannot publicly speak about their children's illness for fear of repression: "This will cost you 15 years. So, I prefer to face my daughter's illness and not spend 15 years watching my daughter die without seeing me."
The influencer also denounced the situation of political prisoners in Cuba: "None of them are allowed to speak. Obviously, if I've got them all stuck in a hole. Who speaks for a country?".
Fiu Fiu made it clear that her activism takes precedence over any professional considerations: "I stand up for the entire country, I am the only voice. I know I have a commitment to a whole country, that if I don't do it right when I leave, my career is over, everything is over. And I don't care, I don't care about my career." And she issued a direct call to the audience: "Help me! I don't know how to do it. I don't know who I need to talk to here. But you who do know, help me!".
In social media, thousands of users reacted with emotion. Comments such as "Here are those of us who cried," "It broke my heart," "Thank you for not forgetting us," and "Free Cuba" were repeated over and over.
Many Cubans felt represented in his words, while users from other countries, especially Venezuela, expressed empathy: “We know what it feels like,” “Your pain is ours,” some wrote.
Others highlighted the value of using an entertainment platform to raise awareness of the Cuban reality: "One of the few who speaks out for Cuba," "You spoke from the heart and the message resonated," they commented.
The weight of his words is supported by his personal history. Fiu Fiu emigrated from Cuba and traversed Latin America under extreme conditions until he reached Miami with the financial assistance of two Cuban women. "I come from pain, I have never had money. I have never had fame. I come from drugs and I come from a troubled life. But I come from Cuba," he stated.
The Disorder of Marko is a digital reality show created by Venezuelan comedian Marko Pérez, who has over 42 million followers on social media and won an Emmy in 2018 for his documentary The Power of a Post. The program, broadcast live on YouTube, brings together between 15 and 17 participants from different countries who live together for three and a half weeks under 24-hour surveillance. Marko himself has expressed his support for the Cuban cause, stating that he will get drunk for four days straight when Cuba is free.
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