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The Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac published a reflection on Facebook regarding the so-called "conga de Matanzas," a viral video that sparked a strong controversy in Cuba and among the diaspora by showcasing a street celebration where participants—including minors—sang the chorus "pincha que yo te cargo la jaba," interpreted as an incitement to stab someone in exchange for bringing them food in prison.
In his statement, Toirac rejected both the simplistic moral condemnation of the phenomenon and—most importantly—the interpretation made by regime defenders, who used the conga as alleged evidence that the Cuban people are enjoying themselves and not protesting.
"The 'famous' conga of Matanzas—or 'conga de la matanza,' which sounds better—does not refer to an insubordination against the state of affairs that has led us to the precarious situation we live in. It refers to a marginality that diverts its violence against the establishment, merely for the sake of violence," wrote the actor.
For Toirac, presenting that conga as evidence that the people are happy is, in his own words, "at the very least, cynical."
"Because it fails to prove its point, but rather highlights the evidence of being a Failed State in all its magnitude, marginalizing people to such an extent that they are capable of singing to the most pedestrian and raw violence, without any makeup: urging for murder," he added.
The comedian explained the phenomenon from a broader social perspective, describing Cuba as a "jungle-society" created by decades of accumulated deterioration.
"From family overcrowding to economic misery, through the precarious quality of education, the distortion of the mission and quality of law enforcement, and the complete abandonment by the government of large population groups," he enumerated.
He also rejected the idea that the people should respond to the crisis in just one way: "People are always going to make congas, tell jokes, throw parties; it doesn’t matter how terribly they are living. Stop wanting the day to be one way only. That’s not how the brain works."
In his opinion, the matancera conga reveals the pressure the system exerts on people.
"I have not lived in another era where marginality pushed its 'artistic' expressions to such an extent. And I put this in quotes not because it is not genuine - it is - but due to the pressure that society places on the individual to bring out the worst in themselves in this way," he wrote.
The analysis of Toirac is set against a backdrop of intense critical activity by the comedian on social media. On June 24th, in a television interview, he stated that Cuba is "in a labyrinth with no solution, at least there is no solution within my lifetime."
On June 22, he warned that the government “is only trying to buy time” with its economic measures, and days earlier he mocked the 176 measures announced by the regime, labeling them as too late and ineffective.
Toirac concluded his publication on the conga with a phrase that directly links the phenomenon to the official rhetoric of the regime: "This - and everything that has led to this - is what I see when I hear or read 'the conquests that must be defended'. Enough said."
The phrase "the achievements that must be defended" is a recurring formula in the discourse of the Communist Party of Cuba, referring to the supposed accomplishments of the Revolution in health, education, and sovereignty.
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