A Cuban identified as Daimarelys Reyes went viral on Facebook with a humorous video in which she writes a letter to Christopher Columbus to update him on the current state of the island, more than 530 years after his arrival.
In the video lasting just over a minute, Reyes opens with a premise that says it all: “Dear Christopher Columbus. I’m writing this letter to tell you that Cuba is just as you found it.”
The author quickly sharpens the irony: she points out that Cubans have lost the skills of the Taíno people—fishing, agriculture, living off the land—but that some of their foraging instincts still remain. “Now we gather remittances, top-ups, and donations,” she says with sarcasm.
The portrait of the "modern Cuban" painted by Reyes is both precise and devastating: someone who "developed a new kind of indigenous survival, making magic with a pack of chicken and two or three blackouts daily".
The letter also directly addresses the official discourse of the regime. With a phrase that blends resignation and mockery, Reyes writes: “We have continuity. And heart as well. Because here the power goes out. But patriotism can never leave first.”
The final punchline satirizes the government narrative about the supposed envy of neighboring countries: “The neighboring tribes are incredibly envious of us. They say our progress bothers them. Can you imagine? A country where finding oil is a religious experience.”
The video is not just humor: it is a mirror of the humanitarian crisis that Cuba is facing in 2026, with blackouts in some areas of the eastern part of the island exceeding 20 hours a day, chronic shortages of basic food items like oil and chicken, and a structural dependence on remittances from abroad to meet essential needs.
According to data collected by El País, nighttime brightness decreased by nearly 50% in areas such as Santiago de Cuba and Holguín at the beginning of this year, an eloquent sign of the energy collapse the country is experiencing.
Reyes' humor is part of a long Cuban tradition of using satire as a release valve and as a form of protest. In recent years, viral monologues about power outages, shortages, and daily life under the regime have circulated widely among Cubans both on and off the island, becoming one of the most reliable indicators of the population's mood.
The reference to Columbus carries a specific historical weight: the navigator arrived in Cuba on October 27, 1492, and described the island as "the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen." The irony in Reyes' statement lies in suggesting that, more than five centuries later, Cuba has not only failed to advance but has even regressed in terms of the basic capabilities of its original inhabitants.
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