A Cuban identified as Darel Rochiel Robinson published a reflection on Facebook this Thursday, in which he confronts the official narrative of "victory" with scenes of misery in Cuba.
"It's been over 30 years, and I never imagined cooking with charcoal, nor searching for kindling, or feeling my arm give out while trying to light it," said Rochiel.
The Cuban claims to have witnessed with his own eyes people digging through the trash to eat, crowds begging—including children—and elderly individuals on the verge of fainting while waiting in line at the banks.
"I never thought I would witness such crime, such social degradation, such shamelessness and opportunism," Robinson wrote.
"Why do you say that we are winning? Are we really overcoming? When you use those words, that political and ideological merchandise, what do you mean? What does 'victory', 'we are winning' mean in the midst of so much misery? What does 'victory', 'we are winning' mean in the midst of so much misery?" he questioned the leaders and defenders of the so-called "revolution."
The questioning comes at a time when the regime has frequently resorted to that rhetoric. Last July, Miguel Díaz-Canel called the performance of Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez at the UN a "decisive victory." "We're going to eat victory", wrote users who linked the supposed victory to hunger and blackouts.
The reactions to Robinson's post reflect the same exhaustion. A social media user recounted that on Tuesday, a young girl with a baby in her arms approached her to ask for a pizza because she was hungry. "She looked well-dressed and very alert," wrote the Cuban woman, who claims to have bought her two pizzas, juice for the baby, a bag of rice, a can of sardines, and gave her 1,000 pesos. "She started to cry, and I was right there with her... My God, Cuba hurts so much," she confessed.
Others compared the current situation to the Special Period of the 1990s. "I lived through the Special Period and I never cooked with firewood or charcoal like I do now."
The criticisms of the official language were direct. "I don't know what victory they're talking about; it must be the victory of keeping us sunk in misery while they live like kings," commented an internet user. Another added, "Every time someone calls what we're experiencing 'living with dignity,' I am left stunned and speechless."
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights estimated last August that 94% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged on October 7 during the radio program Criterio Compartido the presence of people “on the streets, in the trash, begging for alms, money, and food”, following a listener's complaint. The government identified over 883,000 people in vulnerable situations.
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