A Cuban woman who emigrated to Brazil vividly recounted on TikTok the emotional blow of leaving everything behind on the island, seduced by promises of a better life, in a testimony that resonated with the Cuban community abroad.
The user @anitalacubana7, known as Anita, posted a video on Tuesday in which she clarifies that she did not emigrate due to extreme poverty, but rather that she and her husband had a stable life in Cuba: a house, a motorcycle, and their own business.
"We sold everything to come here, everything, because they painted a perfect life for us here in Brazil: come to Brazil, you’ll have work, housing, and your life sorted," she states in the video.
Anita explains that the video arises in response to previous content that, according to her, was misinterpreted by her followers.
The testimony points directly to the emotional impact of migration as the real obstacle, surpassing material difficulties.
"The hardest part of emigrating isn't arriving without money; the hardest part is realizing that you sold your whole life for a dream that wasn't as it was presented to you," he says.
Describe nights crying in secret, fear, anxiety, and the feeling of having made the worst decision of her life.
But what affected her the most was the impossibility of turning back: "The worst part wasn't wanting to leave; the worst part was knowing that I could never go back because I had sold my entire life in Cuba."
Anita also makes a distinction between different profiles of Cuban emigrants: "Perhaps for someone who never had anything in Cuba, this might seem like paradise, but for those who had their business, stability, and a life built, and still decided to sell everything to start from scratch, they truly understand this pain."
The narrative is set against a recurring debate among Cubans who choose Latin American countries as migratory destinations, particularly following the closure of traditional routes to the United States.
The figures reflect this trend: in the first half of 2025, Brazil received 19,419 asylum applications from Cubans, a 60.8% increase compared to the same period last year, becoming the nationality with the highest number of applications, surpassing Venezuelans.
However, the approval rate is almost non-existent. The National Committee for Refugees in Brazil approved only two applications from Cubans during that period, rejected nine, and archived over 10,000 cases, according to data collected by the Observatory of International Migrations.
Other viral testimonies from Cubans in Brazil have addressed labor conditions, immigration bureaucracy, and the difficulty of trusting fellow compatriots, painting a picture that contrasts with the expectations many have when they arrive.
Despite everything, Anita concludes her narrative with a message of resilience that encapsulates the experience of thousands of Cubans abroad.
"Brazil has also given me opportunities, learning experiences, and strengths I never thought I would have, and I know that little by little, everything will improve, because migrating breaks many things but also makes you a stronger person," he concludes.
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