Related videos:
The poses of "sacrifice" and "youthful enthusiasm" continue unabated. President Miguel Díaz-Canel was this Sunday at the agricultural farm 16 de Abril, in the municipality of Bauta, province of Artemisa, to participate in a workday in the fields alongside members of the Young Communist Union (UJC), marking the 64th anniversary of this organization.
The first secretary of the national UJC, Meyvis Estévez, posted images on Facebook with the text: "This Sunday we woke up in the countryside, during a day of volunteer work dedicated to food production. We are still in April 4 mode," followed by a heart emoji, which shows how tenderly the country's leaders approach propaganda, while the Island is falling apart.
The photos depict young people and other party officials like Roberto Morales Ojeda, wielding hoes over the reddish soil of Bauta, wearing red caps and sweaters with slogans, all exhibiting a top-notch "combative-agricultural" spirit. The visual presentation is impeccable, even featuring images of a UJC membership card distribution accompanied by the corresponding militant smiles.
The food, on the other hand, is conspicuously absent. That's why internet users immediately unleashed ironic criticism.
"Lots of photos, lots of slogans, and plenty of 'volunteer work'… but the results are still elusive. More than real production, it seems like a show for the camera and political theater. Because if that worked, after so many years we would already see results… and the reality is quite the opposite," one person commented, while another summarized with sarcasm: "Gloved face theater."
Another forum member remarked: "Haven't you all noticed that communists are always focused on the future? 'We are sowing,' 'we are going to have,' 'measures are being approved.' Show a potato, [...] or at least a sweet potato, something." Someone else was even more incisive: "Children are dying while the leadership of the most criminal dictatorship is engaged in agricultural policy."
The agricultural labor, specifically the properly documented cultivation, extended, as reported by Meyvis Estévez, throughout the country, in an event that "was dedicated to voluntary work in food production and the construction of photovoltaic solar parks."
In real Cuba, meanwhile, people continue to work magic to be able to eat, inventing non-existent dishes like green plantain tamales, waiting for donations to arrive charitably from some country just to have lunch and dinner; or going several days without tasting a morsel.
The Government updates and revises its plans, measures, and economic projects; however, it does not demonstrate even minimal efficiency in activating the production mechanisms that ensure the much-touted "food sovereignty." Of course, as some specialists argue, it would be unrealistic to expect those who create obstacles and problems to provide any viable solutions to overcome them.
The photo-production session took place one day after the 64th anniversary of the UJC and the 65th of the José Martí Pioneer Organization, under the motto "To produce is to resist, and to create is to overcome." In that context, Díaz-Canel has offered the youth and pioneers "the struggle," sacrifice, and continuous study as the keys to achieving their dreams.
"What we need is food", one could respond, evoking the famous character of Pánfilo.
Filed under: