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The Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel took advantage of Mother's Day to post this Sunday on his X account a congratulatory message featuring an officer of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and her son, instead of an ordinary mother facing the daily crisis that plagues Cuba.
The leader identified the subjects of the image as "Loyda, a young officer of the Revolutionary Armed Forces" and "Frank, her reason for being," presenting them as a symbol of all Cuban mothers. The official card, also signed by his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, bears the logo of the Presidency of the Republic.
In the text, Díaz-Canel wrote: "For Cuban mothers (and grandmothers), their descendants are the first and last reason for their lives. To defend their world, they are willing to fight. But, above all, they are willing to live."
The message equates motherhood with the defense of the regime: "Live to defend them, which is to defend Cuba. To all Cuban women who are mothers and grandmothers — even those who are not — and who fight like lions for their descendants in the harshness of everyday life, thank you for your dedication."
The choice of a military image as a symbol of Cuban motherhood contrasts sharply with the reality faced by millions of families on the island. Just two days earlier, a viral video featured a Cuban mother sharing her routine of getting up at three in the morning to cook when electricity arrives and going to work without any sleep.
Last Wednesday, a Cuban mother published a letter addressed to Díaz-Canel asking how to explain to a seven-year-old and an elderly person over 80 that there is no breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
The contrast is even more striking when considering that, in parallel, CIMEX promoted motorcycles for Mother's Day at prices ranging from 1,950 to 2,550 dollars, in a country where the average salary is around 13 dollars per month.
This type of message has controversial precedents. In 2021, Díaz-Canel was criticized for using a photo of light-skinned women with blonde hair to represent Cuban mothers, accused of overlooking the ethnic diversity of the country. In 2024, Cubans responded with a wave of criticism to his greeting for the same contrast between the official tone and the real scarcity.
Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged in February that Cuba had returned to conditions similar to the Special Period of the 1990s, and on May 2, he admitted before delegates from 36 countries in Havana that the island went four months without receiving fuel. Blackouts are affecting more than 55% of the national territory, and there are reports of people fainting from hunger in Santiago de Cuba.
In March, his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza acknowledged the severity of the situation by congratulating Cuban women with a phrase that summed up the state of the country: "These are tough times, but without you, they would be worse."
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