The Argentine journalist Carolina Amoroso stated that the speech of the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel regarding the willingness of the Cuban people to defend the revolution «does not align at all» with the reality she herself documented within the country, where even individuals identifying as revolutionaries told her that they want free elections.
His statements were made during the program "Virtual Meeting with Gloria Ordaz" on Telemundo 51, days after Díaz-Canel told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo that "millions of Cubans" would give their lives for the revolution and that "the people would not allow" a return to capitalism.
Amoroso, correspondent for TN and Canal 13, entered Cuba with a tourist visa at the end of March to secretly film the documentary "Cuba: The Island that is Dimming."
During those days, he encountered a society at the limit of its endurance. "I don’t remember anyone who had more than one meal a day," he told Gloria Ordaz, adding that for many Cubans, it no longer even makes sense to go to work "due to the high cost of getting there."
Regarding whether Díaz-Canel's recent statements align with what she saw and heard in Cuba, her response was decisive: "It doesn't match at all."
What caught Amoroso's attention the most was that the perception of the gap between the official narrative and reality is not limited to those who openly oppose the government. "The most pro-Castro person, the revolutionary I interviewed, told me they wanted elections, that they wanted Cubans to be able to choose their representatives. Just imagine the urgency for change that exists," he stated.
The journalist acknowledged, however, that this urgency is unlikely to translate into collective mobilization. "It’s not that there isn’t an urgency and a need for profound change in Cuba, but rather that people are too focused on survival," she explained.
His documentary described Havana as the postcard of a war-torn place, due to the many buildings reduced to rubble in the neighborhoods he visited.
This material collapse contrasts with the narrative of resistance that Díaz-Canel is determined to maintain, which he reiterated in the recent interview with Folha de São Paulo. The leader denied that Cuba is on the brink of collapse, although he acknowledged a "completely complex" situation.
For Amoroso, this vision is a sign that the regime is "at odds with reality and the truth," and its leaders do not suffer the same hardships as ordinary citizens.
During the conversation with Ordaz, the journalist extended her analysis to Venezuela and warned about the risk of political change processes being delayed to the benefit of those seeking to prolong their stay in power.
"These regimes are specialists in buying time," he emphasized, urging the acceleration of any electoral timeline in that country. "The art of buying time, of staging economic openings, they do very well. Changes must be demanded now," he asserted.
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