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The baritone, promoter, and Cuban theater director Ulises Aquino Guerra published a reflection on Facebook this Friday regarding the crisis that Cuba is experiencing, characterized by blackouts, social silence, despair, and a lack of real spaces for dialogue, which sparked multiple critical comments towards the government.
In his post titled "What We Have Right Now," Aquino described Havana as a city shrouded in "a haunting silence" and "an enduring darkness," clearly alluding to the daily decline and the atmosphere of uncertainty that the country is experiencing.
The text questions the lack of concrete responses from the authorities and denounces that the population has no opportunity to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.
"We, who do not decide for ourselves and are placed in the position of paying the bills and debts of those who make decisions for us, do not have the opportunity to speak," wrote Aquino, who also rejected any scenario involving violence, foreign intervention, or armed confrontation.
The author stated that "the real war" has been lost since "the most important thing is a single criterion and not us," and he called for internal changes before "others" impose them.
He also stated that most Cubans today live in a state of "uncertainty" and "desperation."
In the face of official stagnation, the founder of the Ópera de la Calle calls for internal dialogue as the only way forward: "Let’s talk amongst ourselves and change everything that needs to be changed."
The post generated numerous reactions from users that reflect the growing social unrest within the island.
Julio César Valcárcel Gregorio stated that the authorities “are buying time to return to Stalinism in 2028,” while Blanca Ramona Borges lamented that the population only talks “behind closed doors” as “everything continues to collapse without solutions.”
Other comments were even harsher. Hansel Portuondo stated that "in Cuba there is no dialogue other than that which is imposed from above," and Tanya AR questioned the possibility of negotiating with "a dictatorship."
For his part, Rolando Castellanos described as "unacceptable and unprecedented" subjecting the Cuban population to the current living conditions and defined the Cuban political system as "a totalitarian regime disguised as socialist."
The text from Aquino and the reactions it provoked once again highlight the social weariness that has accumulated after years of economic crisis, blackouts, mass emigration, and the absence of visible solutions from the Cuban government.
The publication comes on the same day that the Trump administration confirmed it keeps all options on Cuba, leaving none off the table, while applying unprecedented economic pressure, reflected in more than 240 sanctions since January 2026 and the interception of at least seven tankers.
One day prior, the departure of Sherritt International deprived Cuba of 10-15% of its independent electricity generation capacity, which exacerbates a crisis that is already causing power outages lasting over 24 continuous hours in various regions of the country and an electric deficit that continues to rise.
Aquino's voice is not new. Last April, he called on the regime to stop the persecution against dissenters, describing the economy as a "narrow dead-end street."
In July 2025, he denounced the betrayal of those who managed the Revolution, and in April of that same year, he demanded profound ideological changes, warning that no solutions were on the horizon without a radical transformation.
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