In a statement that has sparked both criticism and ridicule on social media, an academic aligned with the regime acknowledged on state television that Cuba is not a socialist country, contradicting decades of official propaganda that has insisted the island is governed under this political model. This claim confirms what many Cubans have argued for years: socialism in Cuba has always been an unfulfilled promise and an ideological pretext to justify the Communist Party's absolute control over power.
Silvia Odriozola Guitart, the dean of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Havana, stated on the government-supported program "Cuadrando la caja" that "Cuba is not a socialist country; it is in the 'historical period of socialist construction.'" This excuse, used since the days of Fidel Castro, has consistently been employed to justify the system's failures. For over 60 years, the regime has promised that the socialist paradise is "under construction," although the country endures a reality more akin to a dystopia of shortages, blackouts, censorship, and repression.
Reviving Lenin: A Desperate Measure?
During her talk, Odriozola even suggested "reviving" the figure of Lenin, the Bolshevik leader who established totalitarianism in Soviet Russia. "It's a political economy that draws from Marxism and Lenin's experience," she stated, ignoring the fact that this model has failed wherever it has been implemented. According to Odriozola, the political economy of socialism is "a science in progress," with the main challenge being to turn theoretical consensus into practical transformations.
However, she neglected to mention that these "transformations" have historically resulted in forced collectivization, extreme bureaucratization, economic ruin, and the suppression of individual freedoms. "In Cuba's case, unfortunately, the transformations we undertake are not always in line with those consensuses," she lamented with a conciliatory tone.
The Same Old Rhetoric
The television segment "Cuadrando la caja," co-produced by the Cuban Television Information System and official media outlets Cubadebate and La Pupila Insomne, aims to discuss the economy but mainly serves as a platform to recycle the regime's ideological discourse under the guise of technical analysis. Its host bears the name Marxlenin, a compound name derived from Marx and Lenin—the fathers of communism—which is a declaration of principles in itself. She explained that her parents named her thus while studying Philosophy at the University of Havana, a story that encapsulates the generational indoctrination prevalent on the island since 1959.
This narrative is nothing new. In June, Miguel Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged before the congress of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (ANEC) that achieving the construction of socialism requires "a well-structured economic system." This implicit admission that such a system does not yet exist calls into question more than six decades of communist rule. The leader has repeatedly asserted that the solution to the crisis must be found within Marxism-Leninism, reflecting not only a blind adherence to a failed ideology but also a complete lack of self-criticism.
Endless Socialism Only in Speech
From Fidel Castro to Díaz-Canel, including Raúl Castro, Cuban socialism has always been a postponed goal, never a tangible reality. While the official narrative insists on the "construction" of a superior societal model, Cubans endure the reality of a dictatorship with no economic results, no political rights, and no hope for change. To this day, no leader has declared that Cuba has ceased to be socialist, nor have they demonstrated that socialism has ever been successfully implemented.
The concept remains more of an ideological banner justifying repression, state control, and systemic failure than a tangible model that has improved people's lives. With this latest televised confession, the regime—through its own academic channels—acknowledges a truth that millions of Cubans already know from experience: there is no socialism, only propaganda. And if, after 65 years, they still need to "revive Lenin," it's because the model is dead, though its defenders have yet to admit it.
Understanding Cuba's Socialist Dilemma
What did the Cuban academic admit on state television?
The academic admitted that Cuba is not a socialist country but is in the "historical period of socialist construction," contradicting decades of official propaganda.
Why is Lenin being mentioned in the discussion about Cuba's socialism?
Lenin is being mentioned as part of a suggestion to "revive" his figure, drawing from his experience in establishing a totalitarian regime in Soviet Russia as a model for Cuba's political economy.
How has the Cuban regime justified its failures over the years?
The regime has used the excuse of being in a "period of socialist construction" to justify systemic failures and maintain control, while promising a socialist paradise that remains unfulfilled.
What impact does the regime's narrative have on Cubans?
The regime's narrative results in a lack of economic results, political rights, and hope for change, as Cubans live under a dictatorship with persistent shortages, censorship, and repression.