A little over a minute-long clip posted on Saturday on TikTok by the user @__yelyyy (Anyelis Sofía) became one of the most shared Cuban videos of the week: a father teaches his daughter to drive through the streets of Cuba with a mix of shouts, warnings, and tenderness that thousands of users immediately recognized as something familiar.
The video amassed over 240,700 views, 10,200 likes, and nearly 2,500 shares in just two days, numbers that reflect the significant connection it created among Cubans both on and off the island.
The recording captures the father shouting instructions while the daughter tries to maneuver the vehicle. "Come on, turn a little that way, cut this way, straighten up, straighten up, straighten up damn it, straighten it out there," is heard at the beginning of the clip, setting the tone for the entire sequence.
The handling of the brake is the recurring theme of the lesson. "The brake, brake, gentle brake, let the car go on its own," the father explains, repeating the instruction with an urgency that wavers between desperation and unintentional humor.
Between maneuvers, the man also reacts to another driver who unexpectedly cuts in: "That girl, how did she get over there, buddy, go get her." This phrase elicited laughter in the comments.
One of the most talked-about moments is when the father warns about the kids playing in the street: "Stop, stop because the kids, the kids, run out and don't know. That's dangerous." "Here come the kids playing in the street," a woman in the back of the vehicle is heard adding.
The video concludes with an encouraging phrase that captures the essence of the entire scene: "You'll learn, don't worry, you will learn."
The informal practice of a family member teaching someone to drive in the neighborhood is a widespread tradition in Cuba, where the cost and scarcity of driving schools lead many to resort to this method before taking the official traffic exams.
It is not the first time a scene like this has gone viral. In July 2025, a Cuban in the United States taught his wife how to drive a truck "after 256 attempts," and in May of that same year on the island, a Cuban woman rented a car to teach her brother with cognitive disabilities how to drive, videos that also generated thousands of reactions.
Filed under: