The historian and activist Alina Bárbara López Hernández responded this Tuesday with a direct critique of Miguel Díaz-Canel following the statements made by the leader on Monday during a interview with RT en Español regarding the possibility of Cuba overcoming its crisis.
"The political leader who wants to be respected must deserve it. Respect is not demanded; it is earned. No one quite like the Cuban president manages to say foolish things in a grandiloquent tone," López wrote on his Facebook profile.
The trigger was Díaz-Canel's response when journalist Oliver Zamora, correspondent for the Russian channel in Havana, asked him if Cuba can move forward despite everything.
Instead of presenting a concrete plan, the ruler resorted to a metaphor: "Utopia is on the horizon. When we take two steps, utopia retreats by two steps. And the horizon moves forward by ten steps. What is the purpose of utopia? To walk. I would say that hope is the same."
The reflection stems from a quote by Argentine filmmaker Fernando Birri, popularized by Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano in his book The Book of Embraces (1989). Galeano himself always clarified that Birri was the original author, although widespread dissemination ultimately led to it being incorrectly attributed to the Uruguayan.
The use of that quote sparked reactions on social media, where users have erupted in memes, jokes, and criticisms.
The irony becomes even more evident considering the context in which Díaz-Canel made that remark: during the same interview with RT, he acknowledged that no fuel ship has arrived in Cuba for six months, except for one from Russia, and that the country produces only 40,000 barrels per day against a need of between 90,000 and 110,000.
The Venezuelan supply drastically decreased after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, worsening an energy crisis that was already causing blackouts of up to twenty hours a day for the population.
He also promised in that interview to implement 121 economic measures out of more than 170 approved before the end of July, in a country where the minimum wage is equivalent to less than five dollars per month at the informal exchange rate.
López, for her part, has been under house arrest since June 2024, accused of "attempted assault," with her trial indefinitely suspended. Despite these restrictions, she maintains an active presence on social media and has not toned down her critical stance towards the regime.
This is not the first time the intellectual has harshly criticized the ruler. In February 2026, she referred to him as a “nervous and dyslexic messenger” following his televised appearance regarding the energy crisis, and last July she denounced that the regime acts as a “terrorist state against its own people”.
In May 2026, when asked about her stance, López summarized her journey with a phrase that defines her position: “I am an intellectual who did not accept favors or privileges if it meant staying silent in the face of injustices.”
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