Ulises Toirac shared this past weekend on his Facebook profile a photograph of the original cast of "Do You Swear to Tell the Truth?", the comedy show that influenced generations of Cubans during the first decade of the 21st century, and it triggered a wave of nostalgia among his followers.
"I keep pulling from the treasure chest of memories since I don't take anything out of the fridge—not even experiences... The crew train. I swear to tell the truth," wrote the comedian alongside the image, which features seven members of the original cast.
In the photo, we recognize Toirac himself, creator, director, and performer of the rogue Juan Marchante "Chivichana"; Hilario Peña, who played the Judge; Geonel Martín, the Court Secretary; Baudilio Espinosa, Professor Pepe Rillo; Aleanys Jáuregui —known as Cuqui la Mora—, part of the regular cast and the writing team; Carmen Daysi Rodríguez, who portrayed Marieta Pozo Alegre; and Alexeis Rivera, Amado Fiel del Toro.
Of that group of seven, most no longer live in Cuba.
Also part of the cast, although they do not appear in the image, were Ángel Ramis as Sergeant Pantera, Zaharis Fernández as Lissette Tamaño del Busto, and Carlos Vázquez as Rikimbili, characters that are equally etched in the memory of the Cuban audience.
"Do you swear to tell the truth?" premiered on Cubavisión in 2001 and remained on air for approximately eleven seasons, until the end of that same decade. Each episode, lasting about 27 to 30 minutes, took place in a courtroom where Chivichana had to answer for his entanglements before the judge and the clerk, in a succession of misunderstandings, wordplay, and absurd situations with nods to contemporary Cuban reality.
The space was conceived as a deliberate tribute to the classic radio show "La tremenda corte," created by Cástor Vispo in the 1940s, where Leopoldo Fernández immortalized the clever character Trespatines. The very name "Chivichana" was a direct nod to that predecessor. Toirac had tested the tribute in 1998, within the program "¿Y tú de qué te ríes?" before developing his own space with new characters.
The program also continued on stage and became one of the most successful comedy shows in the theaters of Cuba, especially at the Teatro Karl Marx de La Habana. In 2015, the show "¿Jura decir la verdad? – Relacioncidio" was announced in Miami, featuring Toirac, Hilario Peña, Aleanys Jáuregui, and Geonel Martín, and in October 2016, a theatrical version was presented in that same city.
Toirac, who celebrated 45 years of artistic life in March 2026, remains one of the most beloved figures in Cuban humor, and each post he shares that reminisces about those years of television becomes a gathering point for those who grew up with the adventures of Chivichana.
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