The Dominican communicator Santiago Matías, known as Alofoke, expanded on his thoughts regarding the impact a free Cuba could have on the economy of the Dominican Republic, warning that the Caribbean island could become a devastating competitor for his country in multiple sectors.
During the broadcast of his show, Alofoke went beyond tourism and provided a detailed overview of the Dominican sectors that would be affected. "I foresee that Cuba, which is a larger country than we are, has pristine beaches, rich culture, and a high level of education as well. If it opens up to the world, I believe our tourism would be impacted," he noted.
The communicator warned that investors would find very attractive conditions in Cuba. "If there is a legal environment for foreign investment and stability, and Cuba is willing to work, in five, ten, fifteen, or twenty years we’ll be left behind, because they are richer than us in biodiversity, they are larger, they are closer to the United States; it will be a boon for investors," he stated.
Alofoke also pointed out that the Dominican tobacco industry and the country's baseball players would be negatively affected by competition from a Cuba open to the world.
Regarding the labor force, it presented an unprecedented migratory scenario: "One of the advantages would be the labor, as Haitians would go to Cuba to work instead of coming here."
This new video arrives a day after Alofoke had already warned about Dominican tourism, when he stated that "when the dictatorship in Cuba falls, there will be problems here" and that "people won’t want to know anything about Punta Cana; they will go to Cuba." On that occasion, he also asserted that "when Cuba opens up, Punta Cana will stop being the queen of the Caribbean."
It is not the first time that the Alofoke platform has served as a stage to discuss the Cuban reality. In November 2025, Gente de Zona denounced the Cuban dictatorship during an interview at La Casa de Alofoke, where Alexander Delgado stated that "there is no freedom in Cuba." More recently, the Cuban influencer Gino Montalvo secured third place in Planeta Alofoke on May 26, winning $50,000 after representing the Cuban community with the island's flag.
The migratory context reinforces the significance of these statements: since 2018, over 14,600 Cubans have obtained residency in the Dominican Republic, which has established itself as one of the primary destinations for Cuban emigration in the Caribbean.
Alofoke's words encapsulate in just a few phrases what many Cubans have been waiting for decades: that the opening of the island will not only transform the lives of its people but also reshape the economic landscape of the entire region.
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