Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accompanied Miguel Díaz-Canel this Saturday in a meeting with delegates from the IV Continental Assembly of ALBA Movements held at the Palace of the Revolution, and posted on his X account that the meeting served to "highlight the importance of unity and solidarity among peoples, particularly in the current context of aggression and political persecution that the US government is trying to impose."
The assembly, which met in Havana from August six to nine, brought together 188 delegates from 27 countries under the slogan "For socialism, one hundred years walking with Fidel," just before the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth, set for August 13.
Díaz-Canel took the opportunity to address the participants with his usual rhetoric: "When so many in the world yield to the mandates of Washington, to their criminal order to disconnect us from the world, you have chosen to be in Cuba in the most difficult hour."
The leader also resorted to the metaphor of oxygen to describe the support from leftist movements: "When the empire tries to suffocate us by all means, you oxygenate us with that superior strength."
The event concluded with a declaration of resilience: "And above all things, know that even in the worst circumstances, Cuba will continue to fight, will continue to resist, and will continue to prevail. It is our commitment to the enduring legacy of Fidel."
The meeting is part of a systematic pattern of ideological events that the regime accumulates in August: the previous Friday, Díaz-Canel inaugurated the XXIV International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties with over 100 delegates from 48 organizations, and from August 10 to 13, the International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future" is scheduled.
The contrast with the reality that Cubans face is stark. While the regime receives foreign delegations at the Palace of the Revolution, the electrical system reports a record deficit of 2,380 MW, with blackouts lasting between 15 and 24 hours daily in Havana and up to 87 consecutive hours in Matanzas.
This is compounded by an economy that has accumulated a 15% decline since 2020 and a tourism sector that has plummeted with 112,000 fewer visitors so far this year, the worst drop since 2002.
The outrage on social media was immediate. Beneath the official posts, Cubans responded with phrases like "There's fuel for this," "Hypocrites all, why don't you stay and live in Cuba like ordinary Cubans," and "And over here... Cuba is dying."
Rodríguez, who in recent weeks publicly dismissed the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Cuba and blamed the U.S. embargo for the country's situation, starred in another day of ideological diplomacy on Saturday while the population endures ongoing blackouts and widespread shortages.
Another internet user summed up the popular sentiment in a single phrase: "Let them walk into the neighborhoods... and they will see the reality and the true support."
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