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A group of international leftist activists is traveling through eastern Cuba under the name of "second international May Day convoy", just a month after the controversial Convoy Nuestra América brought hundreds of activists from around the world to the island.
The group, made up of about 60 activists from Italy, France, the United States, Mexico, and Cubans living abroad, arrived in Havana on April 23 and then moved to eastern Cuba, visiting the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo.
Michele Curto, president of the Italian Agency for Cultural and Economic Exchange with Cuba and of the joint venture BioCubaCafé, coordinates the convoy and combines solidarity activism with direct commercial interests on the island.
Upon arriving in Havana, Curto received the commemorative seal for the 65th Anniversary of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) from the hands of Fernando González Llort, the president of this state agency responsible for managing international solidarity relations with the regime.
During the trip through the east, the convoy delivered medications and medical equipment to the University of Medical Sciences of Santiago de Cuba and the Antonio Vegues César Children's Hospital, photovoltaic solar panels to the local medical office in Matahambre—affected by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025—and medications to the Emilio Bárcenas Rural Hospital in the municipality of Segundo Frente.
However, the convoy's discourse is heavily criticized because it reproduces the usual arguments of the regime: attributing the Cuban crisis to the U.S. embargo while ignoring the internal responsibilities of the dictatorship.
This second convoy arrives as Cuba faces its worst energy and economic crisis in decades, with blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day, worsened since January 2026 by the halt of oil shipments from Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
The pattern replicates what occurred in March, when the Convoy Nuestra América —organized by Progressive International— brought to Cuba between 500 and 650 activists from 33 countries, including Pablo Iglesias, Jeremy Corbyn, and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who traveled through Havana in electric vehicles while the population endured widespread blackouts.
Criticism of this phenomenon has been strong. Journalist Yoani Sánchez called the Convoy Nuestra América “ideological tourism” and warned: “We are not a theme park. Go do ideological tourism somewhere else. Here we are suffering”.
Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar was more direct and described Cuba as a "Disney World" for "useful fools" in reference to the activists who visit the island without questioning the regime.
Researcher Elaine Acosta from the Cuban Research Institute also warned about the risk of misdirection of material aid and pointed out that the Cuban crisis is not solely attributable to external factors, but rather to decades of dictatorial management.
The Primero de Mayo convoy plans to return to Havana to participate in the International Workers' Day celebrations, where the regime will leverage its presence as a tool for legitimization before the international community.
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