The model and figure of Hispanic television, Haniset Rodríguez, published a video on Instagram in which she appears in a swimsuit waving the Cuban flag, accompanied by the song "Puente Libertad" by Jacob Forever, Yotuel, and El Chacal, alongside an emotional text in which she reflects on her experience as an emigrated Cuban and the current situation of the island.
In the post's description, Haniset wrote a personal and politically engaged message that resonated with her followers in the Cuban exile community.
"My whole life, I grew up listening to and experiencing the problems of my country, Cuba. It's sad to remember it... but even sadder to know that there are still those who live it every day," wrote the model born in Ciego de Ávila.
In his text, Haniset asserted the decision to emigrate as an inevitable escape for thousands of Cubans: "We were not to blame for being born into a system that limited us from the very beginning. Leaving was not an easy decision… it was the only option many found to move forward."
The model also issued an urgent call for change: "A real change is urgently needed. Because no community deserves to live in deprivation, abuse, and lack of opportunities."
Haniset directly referred to that human drama in his text: "Cuba is a country of good, noble people who do not deserve to be marked by farewells, by separated families, and by lives lost at sea in the attempt to reach something as fundamental as freedom."
The model concluded her message with a reflection filled with nostalgia and frustration: "And in the end, what remains is that… a feeling that doesn't fade, a weight that drags on through the years, and the sadness of seeing time pass… and everything stays the same."
The choice of "Puente Libertad" as the background music for the video is not coincidental. The song, released on March 20, 2026 by Jacob Forever, El Chacal, Yotuel, and Ernesto Losa, imagines a symbolic bridge between Miami and Havana as a metaphor for a free Cuba, and was performed live at the Free Cuba Rally in Hialeah in front of hundreds of Cubans.
Haniset arrived in Miami at the age of 17 and built her career in U.S. Hispanic television, participating in shows such as Sábado Gigante on Univisión and as a backing singer on TN3 from América TeVé.
This is not the first time Haniset has used the Cuban flag as a public symbol of her identity: in June 2022, she had already starred in a photo shoot wrapped solely in the national flag.
Its publication comes at a time of cultural and political fervor within the Cuban exile community, as the island faces a profound economic, energy, and social crisis that has surged mass emigration in recent years.
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