The promotion of the Kite Festival against the Blockade by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla sparked criticism and mockery on X this Friday, where several users questioned the official message in light of the daily challenges faced by Cubans.
One of the most critical comments came from a user who accused the government of imposing an "internal blockade" and wrote that it "suffocates Cubans." His message summarized a recurring objection to the official campaign, which lays much of the Island's economic difficulties at the feet of the U.S. embargo.
Another commentator mocked the festival and recalled the difficulties in obtaining the necessary materials to make kites since the 1990s. "Since the '90s, it has been hard to find güin, let alone China paper, and much less the string," he wrote in a comment questioning the relevance of promoting a children's activity amid shortages.
Similarly, one person resorted to irony with the phrase "There’s paper for eating garbage," while another responded with a series of insults directed at the chancellor.
In contrast, FerrerK issued the hashtags "#DownWithTheBlockade," "#BetterWithoutTheBlockade," and "#CubaWillPrevail," aligned with the narrative promoted by the authorities.
Rodríguez presented the festival as a children's activity against the U.S. embargo, featuring images of children dressed as pioneers and kites with political slogans. In his publication, he attributed the difficulties described by the children to the U.S. embargo and the energy blockade.
He affirmed that in their voices "it is perceived that they are victims of the collective punishment represented by the tightening of the U.S. blockade and the energy siege, as well as the difficulties with food and medicine."
The chancellor also recalled that 12,000 Cuban children are waiting for surgery and that others need a vaccine. This figure aligns with data acknowledged by the authorities themselves, which indicate that the waiting list for surgeries in Cuba was around 98,500 patients in August, including approximately 12,000 minors.
The festival is part of a political mobilization strategy that had an edition in April, organized by the José Martí Pioneer Organization and the Union of Communist Youth under the slogan For Peace and Against the Blockade. On that occasion, a "collective letter to imperialism" written by pioneers was read in Matanzas.
The new call coincides with the upcoming vote scheduled for October 29 in the UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for the end of the U.S. embargo, which has been presented continuously since 1992. In 2025, the text received 165 votes in favor, seven against, and 12 abstentions.
A few days ago, Rodríguez denounced that Washington is pressuring and "blackmailing" governments to change their stance on the resolution. The Cuban diplomatic campaign thus places the embargo back at the center of its international discourse, while the foreign minister himself acknowledges everyday problems affecting families and children.
It is not the first time that Rodríguez's statements have unleashed a wave of criticism on social media. In May, Cubans responded massively to one of his speeches with messages that questioned the regime's management in the face of the crisis affecting the population.
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