Miguel Díaz-Canel blamed capitalism for buying the talent of young Cubans who emigrate, in a speech delivered in Havana on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban revolution.
The leader spoke before a crowd gathered at the corner of 23 and 12 in El Vedado and stated: "A very painful wound has been the migration of promising young people, educated for free in our schools and universities, from whom capitalism buys the skills and talents that it did not invest in."
"Meanwhile," she criticized, "they accuse the society that raised them of failing to provide what the predatory market offers them."
The statement completely avoids the reasons that Cubans cite for leaving: blackouts of up to 22 hours a day, an average salary equivalent to barely 16 dollars a month, political repression, and the absence of basic freedoms.
Díaz-Canel also emphasized the role of socialism in the training of those same professionals who are now emigrating: "This human potential that impresses and gains space and relevance in any country it reaches was shaped by socialism. Only socialism transformed the children of workers and peasants into top-tier professionals, not exceptionally as in capitalism, but on a massive scale."
The argument overlooks the fact that those professionals, whether trained by the state or not, earn between 10 and 20 times more in countries like the United States, Spain, or Canada than they do on the Island, where the system that educated them cannot even provide stable electricity.
In the same speech, Díaz-Canel acknowledged the extent of the collapse: "The daily life of Cubans is painful, from the vital rest interrupted first by the blackout and then by the return of electricity after long hours, which has moved domestic work to the early mornings, to the paralysis of industries, transportation, essential services, and production, because there is absolutely no fuel for almost everything."
The contradiction is evident: the ruler describes a country without fuel, without a functioning industry, and without nighttime rest, and at the same time wonders why young people are leaving.
Far from taking responsibility, Díaz-Canel insisted on his usual thesis: "The main cause of our problems is the genocidal blockade by the United States government against our people."
Meanwhile, the data reveals a very serious reality. Between 2021 and 2024, more than one million Cubans emigrated. In 2024 alone, the external migration balance was -251,221 people, and the population of the Island fell below 10 million inhabitants, the lowest level since 1985. 30% of the emigrants are between 15 and 34 years old.
Independent surveys indicate that 93% of Cubans would leave the country if they could, and 80% believe the current crisis is worse than the Special Period of the 1990s, when the GDP has already contracted by 23% since 2019.
The speech occurs at a time of heightened tension with Washington. Díaz-Canel warned during the same event about a potential military aggression and called on the people to prepare: "The moment is extremely challenging and once again calls us to be ready to face serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to prevent it and, if it is inevitable, to win it."
Although the leader points to capitalism as the cause of the exodus, a young Cuban summarized what many feel years ago: "Many young people don’t want to leave Cuba, THEY FORCE US TO LEAVE."
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