The "factory" of propaganda and official events in Cuba is the only one that consistently exceeds its production targets. President Miguel Díaz-Canel presided over the central commemoration for the 65th anniversary of the events at Playa Girón this Sunday in Ciénaga de Zapata, Matanzas, and then inaugurated with his signature a campaign for gathering signatures called "My Signature for the Homeland," which the regime presents as a reaffirmation of the Cuban nation's "irrenounceable vocation for peace."
The event was also attended by Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), and the top political leaders of the system. However, the nonagenarian Army General Raúl Castro was not present; instead, a floral offering was placed in his name to honor the fallen fighters of 1961.
The signature campaign had been announced days earlier during the closure of the V International Colloquium Patria, a propaganda event of the system held from April 16 to 18 in Havana, where Yuniasky Crespo, head of the Ideological Department of the PCC Central Committee, urged Cubans to register their signatures as an expression of their "vocation for peace" and their constitutional duty of defense.
Immediately, the young and veteran artists prepared to declare their unwavering support for the new initiative, which recalls other similar efforts such as that of 2002, when, under the aegis of Fidel Castro, the entire population of the country was pressured to sign in favor of declaring socialism on the Island as "irrevocable."
Thus, José Enrique de la Cruz Pérez, leader of the University Student Federation (FEU), declared to the Cuban News Agency that "signing this alongside the people is to reaffirm the readiness to defend Cuba, through actions for her and, at the same time, a commitment to sovereignty." The student leader added: "It is to define and make clear that our destiny is decided by us and built by us; no one has the right to dictate it."
Peñafor Gallo Cuéllar, who was the head of the Militias in Playa Girón 65 years ago, asserted that his commitment to the homeland "remains intact" and that he will not hesitate to defend the island if an invasion occurs, just as it did in 1961, the source indicates.
The event this Sunday marks the end of a week filled with political mobilization by the regime. On Wednesday, April 16, Díaz-Canel had already presided over the ceremony for the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Revolution at the corner of 23 and 12 in Vedado, Havana, where he stated that the main culprit of our problems is the genocidal blockade imposed by the United States government. The following day, the Revolutionary Government issued the declaration "Girón is today and will always be," in which it asserted that Cuba will not be a trophy or a star in the American constellation.
This rhetoric of resistance brutally contrasts with the reality lived by millions of Cubans. The country suffers from power outages of more than 20 hours daily in many localities, with an electrical deficit of between 1,800 and 1,945 megawatts during peak hours. Ten of the 16 thermoelectric plants were out of service in March, and the system has completely collapsed seven times in the last 18 months. The interruption of crude oil supplies from Venezuela and the cessation of shipments from Mexico following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. military decisively worsened the situation. More than 200,000 residents of Havana lack access to potable water, the GDP has fallen by 23% since 2019, and an additional contraction of 7.2% is projected for 2026.
The event on April 16 had already sparked internal criticism. The comedian Ulises Toirac publicly described it on Facebook as a "waste of resources", pointing out the contrast between official pomp and the daily misery of Cubans, many of whom cook with charcoal or firewood due to the lack of electricity and gas. A bag of charcoal costs between 1,700 and 5,000 Cuban pesos, which is equivalent to the full monthly salary of a state worker.
While the regime accumulates political acts and gathers signatures, hundreds of thousands of Cubans have emigrated since 2021 and the island's population has fallen to 9,748,007 inhabitants, the lowest level since 1985, according to official data that some experts believe is above the actual figure.
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