A Cuban woman identified on TikTok as Iris (@amymodo2) posted a video in which she expresses her disappointment with Cuba and with the expectations surrounding Donald Trump's policy towards the island, stating that she has "lost hope" of seeing any real change.
The video, which accumulated 610 views, 40 likes, 19 comments, and 8 shares, resonated within the Cuban community on social media due to the starkness with which Iris describes the exhaustion of those who have been waiting for a transformation that never comes.
"Well, folks, I don’t know about you, but I have completely lost hope that Cuba will ever change," the woman states at the beginning of the video. Her tone is not one of anger, but of deep resignation.
Iris points directly to the length of the wait: "We have been 67 years excited, saying 'tomorrow, if this happens you'll see, you'll see,' and nothing comes of it." The phrase captures the sentiment of an entire generation that has witnessed promises without results.
The Cuban also criticizes how international aid is often diverted by the regime: "The country survives on what is given to it; people donate goods of better quality from other countries, but in the end, it doesn’t even reach the people because it is sold in the MLC store."
His diagnosis of the current state of Cuba is decisive: "We have reached the point of total breakdown, total collapse. We have completely hit rock bottom." He adds bitterly: "If we are already in the Stone Age, at this rate, we are going to become extinct like the dinosaurs."
The video is published at a time of unprecedented crisis for the island. Cuba has gone three months without receiving oil following the executive order signed by Trump on January 29, which imposes tariffs on any country that sells fuel to the island.
On March 16, the National Electroenergy System completely collapsed, leaving the country without electricity for nearly 30 hours. According to reports, power outages in Cuba continue following that total electrical collapse.
The satellite images show a 50% decrease in the country's nighttime lights since February, visual evidence of the accelerated energy deterioration.
The energy crisis is compounded by a health emergency: 96,000 patients are waiting for surgical interventions, a number that could reach 160,000 by the end of the year. Since March 6, there have been protests with noise-making pots in Havana, Morón and other locations, with at least 14 detained according to Cubalex.
Despite Trump's claim that "Cuba will fall" and his demand for a "new government" on the island, many Cubans feel that neither sanctions nor promises translate into real freedom, but rather lead to more suffering for the population. Trump and Rubio demand a new government in Cuba amid a deep economic crisis on the island.
Iris closed her video with a phrase that encapsulates the hope still resilient beneath the weight of disillusionment: "I hope to experience the freedom of Cuba before I die, I hope."
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