A Cuban broke down in tears in a video posted on Facebook that has gone viral, in which he desperately denounces the humanitarian crisis facing the island and pleads for urgent change: "Give me back what I had, give me back my Cuba".
The clip, lasting 51 seconds, was published by the page "El creador cubano" under the title "My Cuba needs an urgent change before it's too late. People can't take it anymore," and has garnered over 622,000 views, 47,661 likes, and 4,034 comments on the social network.
Visibly emotional, the man exclaims: "People are dying of hunger, people are suffering. Man, I just ask to be heard, I'm telling you."
His message leaves no room for interpretation: "My Cuba is crying, my Cuba is dying, Asere. Do something to change this, Asere. It breaks my heart."
The video concludes with a plea that has strongly resonated among the Cuban diaspora, especially in Miami: "And are we just going to stay like this? I'm sure I will never have a friend like that again. Give me back what I had, give me back my Cuba. Give me back my Cuba."
The testimony comes amidst a wave of similar videos that have shaken social media in recent weeks.
Last Tuesday, a grandmother named Marta featured in another viral clip where she sobbed uncontrollably, denouncing six decades of dictatorship and the hunger that prevents mothers from providing milk or bread for their children: "How many desperate mothers have neither a glass of milk nor bread to give to their children. They should remove those bandits from there," she said.
In March, another heart-wrenching video showed a mother cooking with charcoal during a prolonged blackout while her children cried out in hunger, repeating "Mom, I'm hungry."
The testimonials reflect a reality documented by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH): 80% of Cubans believe the current situation is worse than the Special Period of the 1990s.
According to the OCDH, seven out of ten Cubans skip one of the three daily meals due to lack of money or food scarcity, a figure that rises to eight out of ten among those over 61 years old.
The extreme poverty affects 89% of the population, and the food crisis is the main concern for 72% of those surveyed.
The energy collapse exacerbates the situation: some provinces endure power outages of up to 20 hours daily, a scenario that has worsened following the interruption of Venezuelan crude oil supply.
The 99% of Cuban retirees claim that their pension —set at a minimum of 4,000 Cuban pesos, equivalent to less than ten dollars at the informal exchange rate— does not meet their basic needs.
Desperation has overflowed onto social media and into the streets as well: in March, people protested with pots and pans in the Havana neighborhood of Palatino and blocked streets in El Cerro due to a lack of water.
78% of Cubans wish to emigrate, according to data from OCDH, in a context where the Díaz-Canel regime provides no answers to the crisis it has deepened through years of poor management and dependence on allies like Venezuela and Russia.
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