A Cuban lawyer who emigrated to Brazil in January posted on Facebook two photos that summarize his life before and after leaving Cuba: the first, from 2021, shows his almost empty refrigerator; the second, from the present, depicts the same appliance filled with food.
Manuel Viera, known on social media as "Manuel Viera Porelcambio," contrasted both images with irony aimed at the regime.
In the photo labeled "CUBA 2021," someone is peeking out from behind an open refrigerator, which contains only a few packages of ground beef and bottles of water in the freezer, as well as half an avocado on the middle shelves. The other shelves are completely empty.
The image of "BRASIL 2026" presents a radically different scene: a smiling selfie is taken next to a Bosch double-door refrigerator filled with all kinds of products.
Viera has only been in Brazil for seven months and is no longer practicing law. "Not as a shining lawyer advising companies, but as a stock clerk in a market," he wrote.
The contrast was summarized with a phrase full of irony: "It's the refrigerator of an experienced lawyer in the unproductive socialism versus the refrigerator of a Cuban fighter who struggles to get ahead while carrying boxes in a capitalist market. Socialism of 'social justice' vs. inhumane and cruel capitalism. There’s no better image."
He concluded the text with a sarcastic thank you: "Thank you, Communist Party of Cuba. Thank you, Department of State Security. Grateful to all of you."
Viera has a long history of activism in Cuba. In October 2021, he was summoned for questioning at Villa Marista, the headquarters of Cuban intelligence in Havana, after writing a public letter to Díaz-Canel denouncing the food crisis and the difficulties in finding orthopedic boots for his daughter. Upon his release, he stated that "Cuba will not be happy until profound social, structural, political, and economic changes take place".
In September 2024, he announced the sale of his house in the municipality of Playa, built "stone by stone," along with his car - an old Argentine Dodge inherited from his father - to emigrate. He was clear about his reasons: "I am not leaving Cuba because of economic problems; I am leaving because of political problems. I cannot stand the idea of my daughter growing up in a broken society that no one wants to fix."
The farewell process was devastating. When buyers came to see the house, he would lock himself in the garage inside the car: "I don't have the courage to negotiate my life," he confessed then.
His case reflects a massive trend in the current Cuban exodus.
In 2025, Cubans submitted more than 41,900 asylum applications in Brazil -an 88% increase compared to the previous year-, becoming the largest nationality applying for asylum in that country.
Between January and April 2026, there were 13,414 new applications, according to data from the International Migration Observatory (OBMigra). This figure represents 58% of all asylum applications (22,938) recorded in Brazil during that four-month period.
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