The Cuban comedian Mario Sardiñas, known for his character Chequera from the show «Vivir del cuento», once again hit the nail on the head regarding Cuban reality with a 20-second reel that better summarizes than any economic report what it means to live in Cuba in 2026.
In the sketch, Chequera tells his niece the good news: he got a raise, has already been paid, and went out to buy a package of chicken. Up to that point, everything is fine. The punchline comes with the crushing logic of someone who has learned to laugh to keep from crying: "Just so you know, niece, it turns out that the price of the chicken package also went up. That's what I call equality."
The "equality" described by Chequera has a technical name: inflation. In July 2026, the regime increased the minimum wage from 2,100 to 3,210 Cuban pesos, a nominal rise of 53% presented as social relief for more than a million workers. The government itself acknowledged that this amount is not enough to cover the basic basket, turning the announcement into a confession disguised as a measure.
What the regime didn't make clear is that, almost simultaneously, the Resolution 150/2026 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices eliminated price caps on chicken, oil, and other imported foods. The outcome was predictable: the price of a chicken package, which cost between 2,000 and 2,600 pesos in June, soared to 7,000 pesos or more in some areas during the following months. Loose chicken sold for 800 pesos in Havana’s small and medium enterprises, according to a report published on the 19th of this month. Thus, a four-pound package essentially equals the complete monthly minimum wage of 3,210 pesos.
The official inflation reached 25.19% year-on-year in August 2026, although independent estimates place it much higher when including the informal market. The minimum wage of 3,210 pesos is equivalent to less than five dollars per month at the informal exchange rate. The "equality" of the Chequera, in numbers, is devastating.
In the comments of the video, the humorist's followers responded with the same blend of laughter and bitterness that characterizes the character. Several pointed out that the situation is no longer even a joke, although they appreciated that someone dared to say it out loud. Others simply posted the laughing emoji, which in Cuba 2026 also serves as a cry for help.
This reel is the latest in a series of sketches with which Sardiñas has turned Chequera into a social thermometer of the crisis. In mid-September, he reacted with exaggerated terror to "things from beyond": a bottle of oil, a gas canister, and a pile of abundant water, items that are now luxuries on the island. Days later, he adapted the song "40 y 20" by José José to highlight "40 hours without power and 20 days without water," a video that surpassed 221,000 views.
At the end of August, he asked Siri what Cuban oil is made of and the answer was: "367 grams of 18-carat gold, 350 grams of platinum, and 200 grams of silver," in a reel that surpassed 200,000 views.
Although "Vivir del cuento" is no longer part of the Cuban television lineup, Sardiñas maintains an active presence on social media, where his reels serve as a comical—and painful—chronicle of daily life on the island. According to the National Food Security Survey 2025 from the Food Monitor Program, presented in May 2026 and based on 2,513 responses collected between May and July 2025, 94.9% of respondents had experienced some degree of loss in access to food purchases over the previous year
Chequera had already warned in September, cooking up a "mop blanket" and reminding that "the special period renewed the contract."
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