The First Secretary of the National Committee of the Union of Communist Youth (UJC) of Cuba, Meyvis Estévez Echavarría, published a video on Facebook this week in which, when asked if it is possible to defeat imperialism, another young militant provided such a vague and circular response that it sparked a wave of laughter on social media.
The clip lasts only 30 seconds, but it conveys a lot. The young woman, with a barely contained smile that seems to reveal that she herself can hardly believe what she’s saying, responds: "Of course it’s possible, I mean, we always have the possibility. We will achieve that. I mean, maybe we need to find the most optimal way to accomplish it."
Thus far, the anti-imperialist strategy of the UJC: possibility, optimism, and an optimal way yet to be determined.
The auction is the jewel in the crown: the only "concrete tool" that comes to the leader's mind is the phrase "not even a tiny bit," attributed to Che Guevara, as an exact measure of the relationship with Yankee imperialism.
Estévez posted the video on his Facebook profile with the hashtag #UJCdeCuba and the text: "On days like these, it should be clearer than ever that 'not even a tiny bit' is the just measure of our relationship with that government." Complete strategic plan, ready to execute.
Internet users responded with the decisiveness the moment called for. "Suck on this tangerine," wrote one, which can be considered the most accurate summary of the situation. Another was somewhat more literary: "A female version of Cantinflas." And one more, in a demonstration of surgical sarcasm, celebrated: "She explains and argues very well. It’s clear she masters the subject, analyzes it, has a gift for synthesis, and reaches conclusions with certainty. Having this intelligence is a privilege!"
Someone pointed out the most obvious thing: "They never mentioned how they will achieve it." And there were those who were more direct: "Of course, of course we’ll make it, in 67 more years of hunger or whatever it takes." One internet user's punchline was devastating: "We always have the possibility; that we will achieve. I mean, maybe what we need to do is find the most optimal way to get there. THESE COMMUNISTS DON'T KNOW WHAT TO INVENT ANYMORE."
The context in which this statement is made makes it even more difficult to hold back laughter or tears. Cuba is going through one of its worst historical crises in 2026: electricity deficits have repeatedly reached peaks higher than 2,000 MW in May and June, leaving 70% of the population without power at the same time. 33.9% of Cuban households reported that at least one person went to bed hungry in the past 30 days, according to the Food Monitor Program in 2025, compared to 24.6% in 2024.
Inflation in the non-state market reached 31.9% in the first quarter of 2026, and the projected contraction of GDP is expected to be between 6.5% and 7.2%. Meanwhile, the UJC was organizing bike rides to Playa Girón and kite festivals "against the blockade" featuring political messages from children, activities that also drew plenty of mockery.
A user wrote with nostalgia: "These videos remind me of the times when things had to be done out of obligation rather than conviction." Meanwhile, another was more concise and blunt: "Union of snitching youth."
In Estévez's view, with a florid rhetorical and propaganda history, faithful to “the strength” of the PCC and always moved by the eloquence and conviction of its supreme leader, the question of how to defeat imperialism was perhaps too easy to answer. Apparently, for her and the UJC, the Cuban people dying of hunger while their youth leaders seek “the most optimal way,” without haste, without a plan, and apparently, without shame, to defeat what they call “imperialism.” Of course, they will never consider the criminal methods, “imperialist,” used by the Cuban dictatorship against its own people.
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