The popular actor Mario Sardiñas, known for his character Chequera from Vivir del cuento, posted a video on Facebook in which he satirizes in his unmistakable style the arrival of the new Cuban banknotes of 2,000 and 5,000 pesos, and along the way, he sends a message to inflation: "Get ready for the class of 'inflammation' that's coming, buddy."
In the 38-second clip, Chequera is seen wearing a white cap, sunglasses, plaid shorts, and a chain with a huge dollar sign pendant, tossing small denomination bills on the ground with all the flair of someone who believes they are a millionaire.
"I'm getting rid of the old bills, Dad, because now we have new bills of 2,000 and 5,000, Dad," he announces with the ostentation of a local banker.
But Chequera's philosophy doesn't stop there. With its compelling logic, it redefines human anatomy for the current Cuban times: "A human being is divided into three parts: head, torso, and high-denomination bills, papi."
And just in case anyone had doubts about the usefulness of those new bills, the comedian goes straight to the painful topic of the "ATM," that national symbol of emptiness: "A man is not defined by how many times he falls, but by how many times he goes to the ATM to withdraw money. And there's never any money, buddy."
The punchline, however, is the one that hurts the most because it holds the most truth: "Don't worry about the size of the bill, daddy. Worry about the change they'll give you at the store when you go to buy the bread that costs one peso." This is not to mention that many times there isn't even any bread, or when there is, it's inedible.
The context surrounding the joke is not funny at all. The Central Bank of Cuba of 2,000 and 5,000 pesos —the highest denominations in the country's history— which began circulating on April 1 in Havana. The official justification was to facilitate cash transactions, but the reality is that 5,000 CUP amounts to barely around ten dollars at the informal exchange rate, which already exceeds 500 pesos per dollar.
To make matters worse, following the issuance of the new bills, the dollar rose to 518 CUP and the euro to 585 CUP in the unofficial market, confirming fears that the measure would not curb inflation, but rather the opposite.
The average state salary does not reach 7,000 pesos, which is just over one 5,000 CUP bill, while many retirees cannot cover even one of the new and shiny high-denomination bills with their pensions. To survive minimally in Cuba requires between 30,000 and 60,000 pesos per month, and a basic breakfast already costs 7,250 pesos according to reports from activists.
It is not the first time that Chequera has pointed his humor at the monetary debacle in Cuba. In June 2025, he depicted the harsh reality faced by retirees with checks of 1,600 CUP, and in October of that year, he personified the dollar and the euro as characters that "fatten up" while the Cuban peso is "fried."
The phrase with which he closed the video aptly sums up the collective mood in the face of such official boldness: "What a lack of charm, gentlemen."
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