The Cuban philosopher and historian Alina Bárbara López Hernández published an analysis on Facebook regarding the interview that Brazilian journalist Mónica Bergamo conducted with Miguel Díaz-Canel for the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, and concluded that the greatest merit of the work was exposing the irreconcilable contradictions of the regime.
About the ruler, she was unequivocal: "There was nothing new there: the same lack of oratory skills, charisma, and arguments; the same cynicism and arrogance; the usual lies, though increasingly brazen and more outrageous. There is no amount of saliva in the world that could make a man as inept as him seem capable."
The intellectual from Matanzas pointed out that the leader "remained defensive the entire time, showing great discomfort in his verbal and gestural expressions," and contrasted this with his ease in front of aligned media such as Rusia Today or Al Jazeera, where he appears relaxed. In contrast, with the Brazilian reporter, "he was beside himself."
For López Hernández, Bergamo destabilized Díaz-Canel at two key moments: when he made it clear that the thesis of the embargo as the essential cause of the crisis was not credible, and by insisting that the 176 approved economic measures - which include private banking and opening to foreign investment - are of a capitalist nature, contradicting the regime's self-presentation as socialist.
"By exposing that contradiction, she practically knocked him out," wrote the activist.
The professor also highlighted a change of era: "In the times of Fidel Castro, when there was no Internet, no social media, and no independent press, no journalist could have told the 'historical leader' that they had spoken with many people on the Island, that they had researched, and that the data did not match."
In contrast, he stated that the present time "has brought about a democratization of dissent" and that "for a journalist who wishes to know, it is enough to go out to the streets, observe, talk to any citizen, and the truth emerges with the force of a category 5 hurricane."
López Hernández noted that Cuba has been an international media trending topic for five months, since the Trump administration formalized the energy blockade, attracting journalists from Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Mexico, and Colombia. Many arrived with preconceived notions that shifted upon realizing that the crisis is "clearly longstanding" and stems from "serious internal economic, political, and social problems."
The activist, who has been monthly protests in Matanzas, concluded with a statement about Bergamo's work: "To strip away that image is, in my opinion, the greatest achievement of the interview conducted by the sharp Brazilian journalist for Folha de Sao Paulo, the second largest newspaper in Brazil."
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