Mike Hammer, head of the U.S. Embassy Mission in Cuba, got his hair cut at a private Cuban barber shop attended by a barber named Ramsés, whom he thanked, and shared the experience on X with a casual message: "And my wife really liked it. Thanks Ramsés."
The scene did not go unnoticed. The journalist Mario Pentón described it on X as an image that "says it all": Hammer surrounded by Cubans asking for photos and sharing the reality of the country, in a real private business, not one "blessed" by the regime.
"It was not a 'blessed' business by the regime, but one of the real ones," wrote Pentón, emphasizing the symbolic value of the diplomat's choice.
Pentón also revealed that Hammer tried to call him from Cuba because some Cubans told him they were following the work of Martí Noticias, but the communication was blocked.
"Etecsa, as always, blocking," the journalist pointed out.
The episode in the barbershop is yet another example of the direct and street-level diplomacy that Hammer has showcased since his arrival in Cuba in November 2024, under the motto #WithCubansOnTheirFeet.
Since then, the diplomat has traveled through cities such as Bayamo, Holguín, Camagüey, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, and San Antonio de los Baños, walking among the people without visible escort, playing dominoes with young people in the streets, visiting convents, independent art galleries, and evangelical churches.
He also met with the Ladies in White and with human rights activists, and on April 4 publicly called for the freedom of political prisoners Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo during a visit to an art gallery in Havana.
This style contrasts radically with that of the top Cuban leaders. Díaz-Canel moves with at least eight personal security agents and high-end SUVs, avoiding any spontaneous contact with the population, in a scheme that generates public outrage amid the extreme poverty, blackouts, and shortages that the country is suffering.
The very own Díaz-Canel publicly congratulated his personal security team, a gesture that was widely criticized by Cubans.
The regime has responded to Hammer's public presence with surveillance from State Security, organized acts of repudiation and attacks in official media.
In January 2026, the authorities formally warned that they would not tolerate any new meetings between the diplomat and members of civil society, labeling these contacts as "foreign interference."
Meanwhile, Ramsés' barbershop —like many private businesses in Cuba— operates in an environment of increasing restrictions: in 2025, the regime revoked wholesale licenses for small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed workers, and has conducted over 157,000 inspections of non-state businesses.
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