A video published this Sunday on TikTok by the creator @el_yambo has become one of the most talked-about clips about Cuban identity in recent weeks, with a direct and unambiguous message: Cubans should not be compared to any other Latino because, in his words, "we are nothing alike."
In just 44 seconds, the creator enumerates the traits he considers unique to Cubans: offering food, water, clothing, and work without regard for the consequences to themselves. "A Cuban gives you a change of clothes and ends up without any," he states, adding that this generosity operates "regardless of whether it will turn out well for them or poorly."
The message leaves no room for comparison: "Don't compare us anymore to Brazilians, Venezuelans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, or anyone else, because Cubans are a different breed."
The clip concludes with a statement that has sparked divided opinions: "Cubans are the best race in the world. Anyone who says otherwise is crazy."
The video accumulated over 61,900 views, 5,837 likes, and 1,335 comments in less than 24 hours, reflecting both enthusiastic support and critical positions among those who watched it.
The content is part of a sustained trend of viral videos about Cuban identity that has intensified in 2025 and 2026. In April of this year, Aisha Descane went viral on Instagram with a reel about Cuban family customs that garnered over 127,000 views in less than 24 hours. In March, a Cuban resident in the United Kingdom went viral teaching salsa to his English in-laws.
In November 2025, the Cuban Mel Violat showed the emotional reality of emigration —loneliness, sacrifice, and family distance— in a video that also generated thousands of reactions. And in April 2025, a Cuban who returned to Cienfuegos touched social media with a phrase that summarizes the feeling of an entire generation in the diaspora: “I will never lose my Cuban identity”.
The self-image of extreme generosity and solidarity that @el_yambo promotes has documented roots. The Center for Psychological and Sociological Research in Cuba recorded in sociological studies that Cubans tend to evaluate themselves positively in terms of hospitality and generosity, traits that appear repeatedly in both popular discourse and that of the diaspora.
The tensions within the Latin communities abroad also fuel this type of content. In February of this year, the presenter Alexander Otaola criticized Bad Bunny's show at the Super Bowl with a phrase that summarized that fracture: "I am proudly Latino and this does not represent me."
The high number of comments on the video by @el_yambo —1,335 in less than a day— suggests that the debate about what it means to be Cuban, and how it differs from the rest of the Latinos, is far from being exhausted on social media.
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