A Cuban who identifies herself on TikTok as @yiseldedios published a 20-second video yesterday in which she is seen walking through a cemetery in Cuba with a bouquet of flowers, in tribute to her late mother, Milagros Concepción Sarmiento.
The message that accompanied the images became the most striking part of the TikTok post: "If heaven is for those without tattoos, then I'm done for, but if I can never hug you again, find me among the dead, I'll be there, mom. Rest in peace, Milagros Concepcion Sarmiento."
The phrase, heartbreaking and infused with dark humor mingled with genuine pain, resonated among Cuban users who are facing the loss of loved ones from afar or, as in this case, from the island itself.
The post was tagged with #cubans, #cubanosporelmundo, and #epd, tags that suggest the author belongs to the Cuban community dispersed around the world, even though the video was recorded in Cuban territory.
The case of this woman is not isolated in the context of the Cuban family fractured by mass emigration.
This month, another Cuban identified as Vivian0322 posted a video crying because, from abroad, she could not reunite with her family or visit her mother's grave on Mother's Day, celebrated on May 10 in Cuba.
On that date as well, other Cubans experienced emotional reunions after years of separation, highlighting the two sides of the same reality: those who manage to return and those who cannot.
The figures explain why mourning and separation have become collective experiences for the nation: more than 1.4 million Cubans left the island between 2020 and 2024, and as of 2023, 38% of Cuban families had at least one member living abroad.
TikTok has become the space where the Cuban community publicly processes that pain, sharing videos that generate empathy and solidarity among compatriots scattered around the world.
The video by @yiseldedios was published 17 days after the Mother's Day in Cuba, possibly as a belated tribute or as a record of a visit to the cemetery during that time close to the commemorative date.
The promise the Cuban left written for her mother encapsulates, with a mix of irreverence and unconditional love, the feelings of thousands: "Look for me among the dead, I will be there, Mom."
Filed under: