Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel, once again posted a personal message on the social network X this Tuesday, October 20, in commemoration of Cuban Culture Day. In her message, she acknowledged the existence of a "corrosive everyday reality" on the island but attributed it to "imperialists."
"May the 'corrosive daily life' that imperialists force us to endure not prevent us from celebrating our strong Culture, 'Shield and Sword of our Nation'," Cuesta wrote on his official X account.
The message was accompanied by a video of approximately 35 seconds, marked with the Aguaje Films logo, which recreates scenes of the mambises during the Cuban wars of independence.
The expression used by Cuesta implies an indirect acknowledgment of the difficult living conditions in Cuba. However, by blaming "imperialists" for this reality, Díaz-Canel's wife omits any reference to the internal problems of the country, such as inflation, food shortages, and the deterioration of basic services.
His message appeared when the Cuban authorities acknowledged that approximately 2.5 million people are partially or totally affected by the supply of drinking water. The National Institute of Hydraulic Resources attributed much of the interruptions to the energy crisis, which prevents the continuous operation of pumping stations.
In addition, according to the daily monitoring by CiberCuba on blackouts, the estimated availability for peak demand this Tuesday was only 970 MW against a demand of 2,820 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,850 MW and a projected impact of 1,880 MW.
The rising cost of food is another serious issue for families. According to the latest official data, prices have increased by 24.85% between January and September 2026, while the year-on-year inflation reached 28.44%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 73.39% of the monthly increase recorded in September.
The health crisis offers no relief either. Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged in early October the serious shortage of medications, while a report from CBS News from Havana captured testimonies from doctors who lack essential drugs to treat their patients and from citizens who rely on donations to obtain their treatments.
The Ministry of Public Health recognized an increase in communicable diseases related to issues with water supply, sanitation, and waste accumulation. The circulation of dengue and chikungunya exacerbates a situation where Havana neighborhoods have been accumulating enormous garbage dumps that have gone uncollected for months.
From "bad times" to "corrosive everyday life"
This is not the first time that Lis Cuesta has publicly acknowledged the difficulties facing Cuba.
On March 8th, during his message for International Women's Day, he acknowledged that the country was going through difficult times.
"These are difficult times, but without you they would be worse," he wrote in a message dedicated to Cuban women.
Those words provoked criticism from users who pointed out the gap between official messages and the living conditions of the population.
In June, after the United States included Cuesta among those sanctioned by the Trump administration, Díaz-Canel's wife once again used X to respond with a defiant tone.
"Regarding the sanctions: it's almost an honor to be on that 'list,'" he affirmed.
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