The Cuban-Mexican actor César Évora recently returned to Cuba to visit his mother, María Díaz, who is 90 years old, lives in Havana, and is unwell. After his return, the renowned heartthrob of Mexican telenovelas shared his sorrow regarding the reality he encountered on the island during an interview with the program "De Primera Mano" on Imagen Televisión.
Évora explained that the trip, postponed due to his commitments to a telenovela, was mainly motivated by his mother's health condition. "I went to see my dear mother who is in a situation... she is ill, and I went to be with her more than anything," declared the actor, who acknowledged that traveling to the island is not an easy decision.
What he found upon arrival deeply marked him. "The situation in Cuba is very, very difficult, extremely difficult, truly... I feel for what the Cuban people are going through today, and I feel it deeply," he stated.
The actor was particularly emphatic in describing the lack of basic services that the population endures. "Living without electricity, without water, is so easy. To arrive at a house, press a button on the wall to turn on a light, or turn a faucet and have water come out. Something so fundamental, perhaps for you it's a completely normal thing. There, it's impossible," he noted.
The reality described by Évora presents concrete figures: so far in 2026, Cuba has experienced at least eight nationwide blackouts. The most recent one occurred on September 18, leaving more than nine million people without electricity. Just the next day, only 3% of customers in Havana had electricity after the collapse of the electrical system.
The water crisis is also serious. More than half a million people in Havana are suffering from irregular access to water as of July 2026, while nationally, about 2.7 million Cubans lack regular access to drinking water, according to data from Los Angeles Times. The UN also warned that blackouts are jeopardizing the vaccination of 70,000 children.
In light of that situation, Évora was emphatic about the need for change: "There has to be a change. The people need it. The needs of the people are immediate."
Regarding his role as a son, the actor left no room for doubt: "If she protected me as a child, now that she is 90 years old, my greatest and most challenging role, and one that I am completely convinced of, is to protect her. And that is what I am doing morning, noon, and night."
Évora, who has been building his career in Mexico for decades after emigrating from Cuba in the early 90s, concluded with a phrase that encapsulates the gravity of this visit: "It is a super painful situation to be in Cuba."
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