A Cuban who migrated through Brazil shared on TikTok the testimony of her 65 days surviving in that country, a raw account of hunger, favelas, and an act of solidarity that changed the course of her journey.
The woman, known on the platform as "La Narra," published her story last Sunday in response to another Cuban user. In the video, which lasts just over two minutes, she recounts how she arrived at a transportation terminal in Brazil from Uruguay and spent approximately eight days lying on a couch, without money, without food, and "without life," as she describes herself.
"Sixty-five days in the streets of Brazil, I slept in favelas, I've been through it all, mom," recounts the woman, who was traveling with her daughter and husband.
During all that time in Brazil, he only encountered about four compatriots. That's why, when on the verge of exhaustion he approached a street collector and he replied, "I’m Cuban," the reaction was immediate: "it was like my soul returned to my body."
The man didn’t hesitate. He got into his truck and came down with a fine gold chain. He handed it over and pointed out a jewelry store behind the terminal where she could sell it. "It's gold, sell it, they'll give you some money for it," he said.
For that chain, they gave her "sixty-something" dollars. With that money, the Cuban woman was able to feed her daughter, her husband, and herself, and continue her journey through "about three more towns."
"I would like to someday run into that man to tell him what you need," she expressed, adding that it's not about repeating thank you over and over: "gratitude is expressed through actions and carries the essence of never forgetting the person who lent you a hand when you needed it most."
The testimony adds to a long series of stories of Cubans surviving in Brazil with a mix of ingenuity, solidarity, and extreme resilience. Another case documented in April 2025 described a Cuban woman who crossed 28 Brazilian cities singing on buses and sleeping on the streets to survive.
The route taken by these migrants generally starts in Cuba and leads to Guyana—the only country in the region that does not require a visa for Cubans—crossing by land and water into the Brazilian states of Roraima or Amapá, before continuing southward. Many also pass through Uruguay, as was the case for this woman.
The conditions of the journey are extreme. In October 2025, 23 Cubans were rescued abandoned on a highway in Brazil, an episode that illustrates the dangers faced by those who embark on this journey.
The migratory flow to that country has continued to grow. In 2025, Cuba surpassed Venezuela in requests for asylum in Brazil for the first time, with 30,731 requests made between January and September alone. By the end of the year, asylum requests from Cubans reached 41,900, an increase of 88% compared to 2024, according to data gathered by the surge of Cuban emigration in Brazil.
Brazil has established itself as the new preferred destination for Cuban migrants in South America, driven by the profound economic and political crisis affecting the island after more than six decades of dictatorship.
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