The Cuban comedian Mario Sardiñas, popularly known as Chequera, posted a new reel on Facebook in which he pretends to float in space without gravity, only to be abruptly brought back to the Cuban reality by an urgent call: he needs to fetch water before the electricity is cut off.
In the 38-second video, Cheque enjoys his cosmic getaway with his characteristic enthusiasm: "Oh, how nice, showbiz! I'm floating. Oh, gravity is at zero! Down there, things are serious, showbiz." The wordplay between "zero gravity" and "things are serious" precisely summarizes what millions of Cubans experience every day.
The sketch takes a turn when Chequera establishes communication with someone from the Moon, only to hear a musical complaint of distribution that could come from any neighborhood in Havana: "What right do you have to do that to me?" Cheque then goes off on a tangent: "Showbiz, this kid is popular even on the Moon."
For the finale, the comedian hides a scene where his companion interrupts him with the phrase that no Cuban wants to hear: "Hey, Cheque, buddy, we have to keep carrying water, man. They might cut the power soon." At that moment, the space adventure (imitation of that of Artemis II, from NASA) comes to an end. "Oh my God, I've returned to gravity. The 'pot spills' and the water spills," Chequera laments.
The joke has a perfectly Cuban logic: the only way to escape the blackout and water shortages would be to go to the Moon, but even there, you wouldn't find rest. The long-standing energy crisis that has been affecting the Island in 2026—with blackouts lasting more than 20 hours daily and generation deficits of up to 1,900 megawatts—has a direct consequence on the water supply: 87% of the country's water supply depends on the National Electroenergetic System, as admitted by the head of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources in March. When the power goes out, the water goes out.
This reel adds to a series of viral videos that Sardiñas has used to keep the character alive after the cancellation of "Vivir del Cuento" in 2024, after more than fifteen years on air. On March 30, Chequera had already starred in another video where he "sold" a satirical electric switch with the phrase Touch it to see how the current flows. And on April 10, another reel featured him announcing his departure on the "Artemisa II" mission, fleeing from the blackouts.
The character, a frustrated musician from "Los Rompetímpanos de Mayarí" known for his catchphrases "Güiro" and "Farándula," has become a comedic gauge of the Cuban crisis. Sardiñas, one of the few actors from the original cast who remains in Cuba after the show's cancellation, uses local humor to depict what no official news outlet dares to show so clearly. Things are really bad, Farándula.
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