Protest Graffiti Challenges Cuban Regime on Historic July 26th

As the regime in Cuba sought to celebrate July 26th, a date steeped in revolutionary significance, the streets of Santiago de Cuba posed a chilling question: “Blood or what?” This bold message, painted in enormous red letters, appeared on the perimeter wall of School 70 on René Ramos Avenue, right in the heart of Los Olmos neighborhood.

The provocative graffiti, sprayed in the early hours of the morning, caught the attention of locals and passersby who quickly began sharing images of it. Independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported that the message emerged amidst a heavily militarized Santiago de Cuba, characterized by power outages, heightened surveillance, food shortages, and official rhetoric increasingly out of touch with daily hardships.

Within hours, authorities dispatched workers to paint over the graffiti with yellow brushes, in an attempt to silence the voice of a weary populace. This is not the first time the eastern city has become a focal point of public discontent. On July 17th, another graffiti bearing the words “DOWN WITH COMMUNISM” appeared elsewhere in Santiago, part of the urban protest movement “Paint Your Little Piece,” which aims to highlight the ongoing crisis and repression through public graffiti.

Earlier in March, the Ministry of the Interior launched an extensive operation in the town of El Oasis following the appearance of messages such as “How long without a home” and “Down with the dictatorship.” These graffiti have turned walls into uncomfortable witnesses to truths that official narratives fail to acknowledge.

Across the island, from Matanzas to Artemisa, through Centro Habana and Camajuaní, people have embraced graffiti as a form of resistance. Phrases like “Díaz-Canel singao,” “Freedom,” and “Raúl singao” have sprung up on walls and corners, and even though many are swiftly painted over, their impact lingers in the collective conscience.