Life in Cuba: A Nation Trapped in Despair

A recent video by Spanish YouTuber Topeados de Viaje (topeadosdeviaje) sheds light on the overwhelming despair felt by many Cubans. They compare their existence to life in a "prison," devoid of freedom and future prospects. Captured on the streets of Havana, this testimony highlights the severe repression, poverty, and discrimination that citizens endure in their own land.

"Why don't people protest or do anything?" Pastor questions at the beginning of the video. He answers his own query, stating, "Because simply doing so could land you in prison for up to 20 years, even though the island itself is a prison for Cubans." The individual sharing his story, with his face blurred out, bitterly laughs as he says, "There's no future, I'm in prison, where would I go?" He further adds, "I've never been to Varadero or a cay. You can't go, because when you show up at hotels, they give you a hard time. They look you up and down. You know? Just for being local."

Pastor wraps up the video with a poignant reflection on fear and resignation: "That's why many prefer to stay silent, not because they have nothing to say, but because they're scared. In the end, they resign themselves, bow their heads, and allow things to remain unchanged."

The video has sparked a wave of reactions. Some viewers express gratitude towards the YouTuber for exposing the harsh Cuban reality: "Thank you for showing the truth about my country," "People are scared because speaking out can get you imprisoned," and "This is not a life." However, others blame Cubans for not uniting and protesting, even questioning the authenticity of the testimony.

Debate and Division Among Cubans

Intense debates erupted among Cuban users, with some defending the dignity of those who endure without complaint, while others attributed social stagnation to disunity and passivity.

This video is part of a series of reports that Topeados de Viaje has released on TikTok and YouTube during his stay in Cuba. In previous clips, he has highlighted issues like hunger, power outages, monetary discrimination, and the widespread sense of hopelessness affecting large swaths of the population.

"What impacted me the most was the hunger," he admitted in another installment, recounting how Cubans requested rice, milk, or medicine instead of money. In that video, he also stated, "Everyone is hungry, they scream silently, and they wait for something to change."

International Voices Document Cuba's Struggles

Pastor's revelation joins the ranks of other foreign creators who have recently visited Cuba. The Spanish YouTubers from Black Mango described the island as "a blue-sky prison with nice cars" after touring impoverished neighborhoods in Havana, talking to people living without doors, electricity, and barely having bones to make broth.

In another segment, these creators shared more heartbreaking stories: a woman without a wheelchair, a man scavenging for food in trash bins, and a young woman imprisoned for protesting. "This is not propaganda. This is humanity. This is Cuba," they declare.

The testimony of American YouTuber Adventure Elliot has also resonated, as he documented long lines outside empty stores and ration cards marked with "zero" available products. His images lay bare the starkness of the Cuban rationing system.

"I didn't come to judge, I came to face a painful reality," Pastor wrote in one of his previous posts, which have been widely shared and appreciated by Cubans both inside and outside the country, who see in his videos a means to voice what many cannot openly express.