The young Cuban Angie received numerous messages of support and solidarity on social media after CiberCuba disseminated her decision to continue denouncing the situation in Cuba, following a tense exchange on French television with Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF).
Thank you for speaking for those of us who cannot speak, wrote a user in one of the reactions to the post on Facebook by CiberCuba, a phrase that captured the support expressed by several users for the young Cuban.
Angie went viral after questioning Roussel during the program «La Grande Confrontation», from the French channel LCI, where she directly challenged the communist leader about his stance on the Cuban government.
«Don’t you feel ashamed to support a dictator?», asked the young woman during the exchange, referring to Miguel Díaz-Canel. When Roussel insisted on referring to him as the "president of the Republic of Cuba," Angie replied: «He is a dictator, no one elected him».
Days later, the young woman, born and raised in Havana and a resident of France for over seven years, published a video to thank for the support she received and to explain that she will continue using her social media to talk about the reality of Cuba.
«I am Angie, I am Cuban and as long as I have a voice, I will continue to raise it for my people», she stated.
"Thank you for speaking on our behalf."
The story generated a wave of supportive messages among readers of CiberCuba on Facebook. In one of the posts shared by the outlet, users particularly highlighted Angie’s bravery in directly confronting a European political leader and sharing her experience as a Cuban.
You are very brave, wrote a user, who used a colloquial expression to emphasize the courage that, in their opinion, the young woman displayed.
A user expressed a similar sentiment: «I hope there are many Cubans with that courage», while other readers left brief messages such as «Well done», «Thank you, that's the attitude», «Excellent, may God watch over you» and «Bravo, Angie».
A user moved by her words congratulated the young woman and remarked that "the whole world must know how much the Cuban people suffer and have suffered."
Another celebrated that Angie could bring the debate directly to the French public: «I am very glad to see a Cuban also speaking French and debating with those people. Congratulations and take care».
Other comments identified Angie directly as a voice for those who remain in Cuba. "Thank you for speaking for us who cannot speak," noted a third person.
There were also readers who highlighted the international impact of his intervention and his decision to continue discussing issues in French such as power outages, food and water shortages, emigration, and the lack of freedoms that he denounces on the island.
A debate that also left opposing positions
The posts did not only receive positive messages. Some users questioned Angie and defended a different interpretation of the Cuban crisis, primarily focused on the sanctions from the United States.
A user, for example, labeled the young woman as a "mercenary" and claimed that the fuel shortage and blackouts are related to U.S. sanctions. Another one of those internet users, known as "ciberclarias", also criticized Angie for speaking about "dictatorship," "regime," and "communism" without holding U.S. policy towards Cuba more accountable.
Other comments called for the lifting of sanctions, while some users proposed scenarios for political openness that included multiparty systems and free elections.
The differing positions precisely reproduced one of the debates that Angie had mentioned in her video: her refusal to have the situation in Cuba explained solely in terms of the U.S. embargo.
"As long as I have a voice"
Angie explained that for months she has been using her social media to document in French her perspective on the consequences of the Cuban political system and that after her exchange with Roussel, she began to receive numerous Spanish-speaking followers, including Cubans and people from other Latin American countries.
The young woman also announced that she is preparing a miniseries dedicated to showcasing aspects of daily life in Cuba, including power outages, water shortages, scarcity, and testimonies from people living on the island.
Her intervention in front of Roussel turned a question posed during a French television study into a much broader debate on social media, where many Cubans celebrated that a young emigrant directly confronted a European leader about his stance toward Havana.
Among congratulations and messages of solidarity, one of the readers' phrases summed up the meaning that their followers attributed to the intervention: “Thank you for speaking for us.”
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