A young Cuban known as Daymé (@its_daydance) posted a video on TikTok in which she confesses something that, in her own words, she finds hard to admit: that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for her to feel proud of her Cuban identity.
In just 55 seconds, Daymé achieved what few accomplish on social media: striking a collective chord without shouting, without attacking, without any flamboyance.
"There's something I don't want to admit, and that is that it increasingly becomes harder for me to feel proud to be Cuban," the clip begins, with an honesty that disarmed those who watched it.
But the video doesn't just dwell on complaints. Daymé explains that to regain that pride, one must return to the roots: “to remember everything that makes us great and to think of the many Cubans, both inside and outside of Cuba, who move forward every day.”
What concerns her, she says, is what is most visible today in the Cuban community, both on the island and abroad: "violence, division, vulgarity, lack of intelligence, gossip, trampling over one another. And I ask, truly, aren’t we ashamed?"
Far from pointing fingers, Daymé acknowledges the weight of history: "I know that we are a wounded community, hurt and that we have lost many principles as a consequence of a dictatorship." But she adds that it is time to stop repeating those patterns, because "being Cuban should not only mean remembering where we come from; it should also make us think about what we are doing with everything we are."
The video includes images of the municipality Pedro Betancourt, in the province of Matanzas, and has sparked a wave of nostalgic comments from emigrants who have not set foot in their homeland for years.
"I was from Pedro Betancourt and I haven't been back in 20 years. How much has been destroyed!" wrote a user. Another lamented, "My town is in ruins, how sad." Another user thanked the video because it had been "many years" since seeing the place where she grew up.
"It’s frustrating to see how that town is doing, and it hurts even more to see our people destroying themselves," commented another person. The creator responded briefly: "That’s right... and without hope."
The dissenting voice was not absent. One user declared that he will never stop feeling proud to be Cuban and highlighted "the joy of my people, their solidarity, their hospitality, their patriotism." Daymé responded with humor and without confrontation: "I respect your way of thinking."
This debate about Cuban identity is a recurring trend on TikTok that has intensified in recent years, featuring viral videos ranging from nostalgia to the most unflinching self-criticism.
What sets Daymé's clip apart from others in the same vein is its tone: devoid of anger, without victimhood, and featuring a genuine call for introspection.
The video closed with a statement that many would wish to say without hesitation: "And I still want to feel proud to say, I am Cuban."
Filed under: