The Instagram account Memoria Cívica posted a video that dispels five popular myths about Cuba and Cubans, with a direct warning from the very first second: I'm not going to talk about the blockade or those other stories that no one believes anymore.
The video, produced by Aliannis Sarduy Hernández, Yamara Pereira Rey, and Yanier Vázquez Herrera, addresses specific cultural stereotypes that distort the true image of the country.
The first myth debunked is that Cubans smoke the best tobacco in the world.
"It is true that we produce more than a dozen of the best tobacco brands in the global market, but you won't find a Cuban in line at the store waiting to buy Cohiba or Partagás," says the host.
The premium brands are exported and practically inaccessible for the Cuban consumer who lives off their salary.
The second myth points to baseball as "the most practiced sport".
The preference of Cubans has shifted some time ago towards the most universal of sports, highlighting both the growing popularity of soccer in recent decades and the government's reluctance to broadcast professional baseball games on television.
The third questioned stereotype is that of the "hot" Cuban. According to studies and surveys mentioned in the video, the frequency with which Cubans engage in intimate relationships is just over once a week, "which is a similar average to that of other Latin American countries."
A comment on the post summed up the situation with humor: "Cubans are indeed passionate; what they really have is hunger."
The fourth myth is that of perpetual joy. "There is joy, of course, but there is also, in equal measure, melancholy, despair, disappointment, frustration," says the host.
The video presents a striking fact: Cuba has one of the highest suicide rates in the Americas, with approximately 21 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Historical data confirm that the country has maintained high rates since the 1980s, although more recent figures from 2023 place it at 10.2 per 100,000.
The fifth myth addresses the republican era, which the Castro regime reduced for decades to a narrative of corruption and neocolonial dependence.
"It is not true that it was only a time of corruption and dependency," the video states. "It was also a time of political plurality, institutional building, and cultural advancements that many wanted to erase from memory."
The Cuban Constitution of 1940 was one of the most progressive texts in Latin America, and that era produced world-renowned figures such as Celia Cruz, Alicia Alonso, and José Raúl Capablanca.
In the comments, several users suggested a sixth myth about Cuba. "It is said that all Cubans know how to dance, and that's not true either," wrote a follower.
The video closed with an open invitation: "If you know of other Cuban myths, let us know, and we'll debunk them together."
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