The Cuban-Mexican actor César Évora recently returned to Cuba to visit his 90-year-old mother, María Díaz, who lives in Havana and is unwell. After his return, the renowned soap opera heartthrob 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 primarily 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," said the actor, who acknowledged that traveling to the island is not an easy decision.
What he found upon arriving deeply affected him. "The situation in Cuba is very, very difficult, extremely difficult, I truly... feel for what the Cuban is going through these days, and I deeply regret it," he stated.
The actor was particularly emphatic when describing the lack of basic services that the population endures. "Living without electricity, without water, is so easy. Arriving at a house, pressing a button on the wall to turn on a light, or turning on a faucet to get water. Something so elementary, maybe for you it is completely normal. There, it is impossible," he noted.
The reality described by Évora has concrete figures: so far in 2026, Cuba has experienced at least eight nationwide blackouts. The most recent occurred on September 18, leaving more than nine million people without electricity. Just the following day, only 3% of customers in Havana had electricity after the collapse of the electrical system.
The water crisis is equally serious. More than half a million residents of Havana suffered from irregular access to water in 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 power outages threaten 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 most important and challenging role, which 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 weight of this visit: "It is a super painful situation to be in Cuba."
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