A Cuban identified on TikTok as @janoy.h posted a 51-second video this Monday in which he delivers a message of encouragement to his fellow countrymen who are going through the process of starting over, using the colloquial language of the Island to create an emotional connection with those who feel stuck.
The clip opens with a straightforward and blunt phrase: "I know that starting from scratch is tough, looking around and seeing that everyone else is moving forward except you."
Far from offering formulas or recipes for success, the creator appeals to something deeper: the will to persevere.
"There is something that no one can take away from us, and that is the desire to keep fighting. It is the desire to take on the world. It is that hunger to move forward," he says in the video.
The message does not come from someone outside of that experience. "Tell it to me, brother," @janoy.h acknowledges, making it clear that he speaks from within, from the experience of someone who has also walked without knowing exactly where to go.
The phrase that captures the spirit of the video is as simple as it is powerful: "Keep walking, because as long as you are walking, you are winning, brother."
The closing of the clip adds solidarity to the motivation: "Don't give up on me, champion, I'm coming for you just as I am for myself, and I'm betting double."
The description that accompanies the post sums everything up in one line: "Sometimes you don’t need to have the path clear. You just need to keep walking."
The video adds to other content from Cuban creators on TikTok where emigrants share reflections on their experience of rebuilding themselves in another country.
Other similar messages have also gained traction on TikTok. Last August, another Cuban creator, @janselmaillo, posted a similar message aimed at Cubans with I-220A status —"Don't give up. You're not alone"— which garnered 12,900 views and over 1,300 "likes" in less than 24 hours.
Recent Cuban emigration has forced many individuals to confront the process of starting over in another country: seeking employment, adapting to a new environment, and rebuilding family and social networks. In this context, messages of encouragement among compatriots take on a significance that goes beyond the screens.
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