The Cuban content creator Robert Evangelista, who resides on the island, launched a strong public response against the influencer Kenny Robert following a controversy regarding the promotion of food combos and shipments to Cuba, in an exchange that revealed the ethical debate dividing Cuban digital creators.
Everything began last Thursday when Evangelista posted a video on Instagram rejecting offers from more than four companies to promote food combos destined for Cuba. In that video, without mentioning anyone by name, he explained that his audience — Cubans living on the island — lacks the financial means to purchase those products, and he revealed that they were offering him 700 dollars for each promotion. "My conscience and my dignity are not worth seven hundred dollars," he asserted.
The next day, Kenny Robert responded with a video on Instagram directed specifically at Evangelista, defending the promotion of combos and shipments. The Cuban influencer based in Miami argued that many compatriots abroad cannot travel to the island and rely on agencies to send aid to their families. "Many of us here cannot go there. Because we are working. Because some unfortunately don’t have papers. And they have to make their shipments through agencies," he said. He also reproached Evangelista for his alleged "double standards," pointing out that he lives comfortably in Cuba without needing that kind of help.
On the same day, Evangelista responded with a nearly nine-minute video on TikTok, this time explicitly mentioning Kenny Robert. In it, he clarified that his stance is not against family members who help from abroad, but against influencers who exploit the suffering of others for commercial purposes. "I have no problem with a family member from there helping a family member here. What I disagree with is that hypocritical influencers like you don't know how to distinguish what it means to play with a family's pain," he stated.
Evangelista also revealed that the agency Kenny Robert promotes contacted him directly via WhatsApp, offering an open contract for him to request whatever he wanted. He declined. "Not for 700 nor for 3,000 will I sell my ideals," he emphasized in the video posted on TikTok.
Evangelista, who has monetized his networks and uses that income to live on the island, concluded his response with a statement that resonated with his followers: “I have a clear conscience. The public loves me. The public knows why I am talking about what I am talking about.”
Filed under: