A Cuban known on TikTok as “La negrita de rey” posted an emotional video of her return to Cuba on April 28 after two years away, and the images of the welcome she received from her community have left no one indifferent.
The 57-second clip, recorded from a high vantage point at night, shows a large group of people gathered outdoors—in what appears to be a park or green space—to give a welcome.
"After two years... we are coming home," wrote the protagonist alongside the images, accompanied by the Cuban flag and a red heart.
The video description succinctly captures what thousands of Cubans in similar situations feel: "Two years of waiting, a hug that means everything" and "Returning to Cuba is not a journey… it's a feeling."
The reunion of "La negrita de rey" adds to a trend that has been solidifying on TikTok for months: Cubans from the diaspora documenting their returns to the island after years of separation, generating massive reactions within the global Cuban community.
In January of this year, the user @barbara.ana18 held an incredible party in her neighborhood in Cienfuegos upon returning from the United States, complete with conga music.
In March, @nanyliam96 was welcomed with a red carpet in the middle of a dirt road, in a gesture that elicited laughter for its spontaneous creativity.
In April, Maithe Domenech shared her reunion after two years apart with a phrase that resonated among the diaspora: "I put a band-aid on my heart."
Also in April, Yaniuska López returned from Angola, stating that "returning does not mean failing", a statement that resonated with those who feel the burden of social judgment upon their return.
In September 2025, another migrant was welcomed with a large celebration in his neighborhood after seven years away, even amidst a total blackout.
And in January of this year, another Cuban returned to the island after 12 years of absence in a reunion that also touched thousands.
Behind each of these videos lies a painful reality: more than a million Cubans have left the island since 2021, reducing the population from 11.3 million to between 8.6 and 8.8 million, a decline of approximately 24%, according to data cited by Bloomberg Línea.
The economic crisis, prolonged power outages, and political repression have extended family separations for years, turning each reunion into a highly emotional event.
The case of a girl who thought she was going to receive a birthday gift and the gift was her father illustrates just how much these reunions transcend the individual: "Only those of us who experience this distance know what it feels like," the father wrote in his post.
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