The Cuban content creator Theö posted a video on Instagram in which, with a trembling voice, he shares an intimate reflection on the pain that his country's situation brings him and the hope he holds of one day seeing his people free.
In the six-minute video posted on Instagram, Theö describes how sometimes, on his way home, thoughts about the island overwhelm him to the point of tears.
«Hay ciertas noches cuando yo estoy en camino para mi casa... voy pensando en mi país y en la gente. Pienso cómo vamos a reaccionar los cubanos cuando ese gobierno se caiga», dice el joven, quien llegó a Estados Unidos con ocho años de edad.
The image that overwhelms him emotionally is vivid: he sees himself entering an airport packed with Cubans who are crying and embracing each other, with flags from all the countries of the world on their cars.
"I can imagine entering the airport and seeing a line of Cubans, everyone crying or hugging... and since we'll all finally be free inside, you know what I mean? Free inside and out," he expresses.
Theö acknowledges that this recurring anguish takes an emotional toll on him, and this resonates with many Cubans who feel the same sense of overwhelm, nostalgia, and sadness when thinking about family still living in Cuba.
"I feel that Cuba has me in a certain type of depression. It has me in a certain type of depression because I experience some downs, but real lows, deep lows. And I live this alone," he confesses.
The creator lives comfortably in Miami, has a job, and pays his bills, but that comfort brings him a guilt he can't shake off.
"I'm here, everything is normal. I have my job, I pay my bills, I live in Miami, everything is perfect. But, sir, there are people in Cuba who are dying. They are human beings, and the world doesn't care," he laments.
One of the most emotional moments of the video is when he mentions the political prisoners who have been tortured for four years in the regime's prisons, directly referring to those detained after the protests on July 11, 2021.
"There are people in prisons who were tortured four years ago and no one is doing anything," he says.
At least four protesters from 11J have died in the custody of the Cuban regime, and an independent report documented systematic torture against 181 political prisoners from those protests.
He also expresses the contradiction that paralyzes him: he wants the young people in Cuba to take to the streets, but he knows he cannot ask anyone to make that sacrifice.
"I want young people to take to the streets and bring it all down, but at the same time, I can't be telling anyone to go out," he admits.
The video, which poses the question "Are we doing enough? Can we do more?", connects with a widespread sentiment in the diaspora: the guilt of living well abroad while others suffer at home.
The closing of the video encapsulates the creator's emotional weight: "Imagine the elderly, my people. The elderly who are alone in Cuba, dying alone. What is this? How long will this last?"
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