Undercover Tourists Reveal the Hidden Cuba the Regime Wants to Conceal

A team from the Canadian outlet Rebel News claims to have discreetly entered Cuba by posing as tourists. Once on the island, they engaged locals in conversations about their views on the regime, Trump, and socialism.

In a statement to our editorial team, Efraín Flores Monsanto, the outlet's Director of Production, explained that during the trip, they captured testimonies and scenes that delve "beyond the tourist facade."

Flores Monsanto, alongside his colleague Alexa Lavoie, conducted an exclusive investigative report inside Cuba. They assert they discovered "a surprising support for regime change" and heard stories of "desperation" due to the country's living conditions.

The footage illustrates how, upon arrival, "the illusion shattered" in mere minutes, as their journey aimed to document "the authentic streets of Havana" and everyday life outside the tourist hotspots.

Support and Hopes for Assistance

The video features candid responses to questions like “Do you like Donald Trump?” and “What are your thoughts on Donald Trump?” during a tour of Havana and other interactions with locals.

One of the most striking responses came when an interviewee answered “Do you like Donald Trump?” with “Absolutely, I love him!” while adding, “people don’t like [the] communism” and that “communism doesn’t work,” referring to Cuba's decades-long government.

Other interviewees stated that Trump “wants to help us” and linked his stance to opposing communism: “He wants to help us, but he doesn’t want communism. We don’t want communism,” they said in a series of responses.

The Harsh Reality

Opinions about Trump are interspersed with descriptions of Cuba's everyday struggles, such as power outages, food and medicine shortages, low wages, and fear of reprisal for criticizing the government, according to the report.

In the footage, individuals state that “today it’s very difficult” and list daily issues: “food… no oil… lighting problems… gas for cooking,” along with shortages related to water and hygiene, painting a picture of a general decline in daily life.

The economic crisis emerges as a central theme in the testimonies. One interviewee argues that “the economy is the primary issue” because “salaries are very low,” and another — a teacher — claims to earn 2,800 Cuban pesos a month, equivalent to “about 7 dollars,” while emphasizing that “I earn nothing” and that “the situation is very hard.”

In the same sequence, examples of prices that exceed salary purchasing power are provided: a carton of eggs costs 3,000 Cuban pesos, described as “a person’s salary,” concluding: “it’s not possible.”

Supply issues are echoed in the declarations: “there’s no food… there’s no medicine,” several interviewees assert, and the lack of pharmacy products and reliance on alternative means are also mentioned.

The Fear of Repression

Amid this context, the journalists reveal that they recorded conversations “as trust grew” and that some locals invited them to tour neighborhoods and homes to show “the reality,” with the hope that the world would see “the injustices” and “silent suffering” that, according to the report, tourists are seldom asked about.

Rebel News claims many are afraid to speak out due to potential punishment, noting that previous protests have resulted in imprisonment.

"In a place where speaking the truth can land you years in prison, someone must give a voice to everyday Cubans. That’s precisely why Rebel News exists, to go where mainstream media won’t and shed light on the realities dictators try to hide," the outlet states.

"The reality on the ground is much more severe than we anticipated. This is not the image Cuban authorities want you to see," the reporters conclude.

Together, the collected testimonies depict a landscape of shortages, insufficient wages, fear of retaliation, and accumulated frustration.

Even as the regime attempts to gloss over reality to attract tourists to the island, the crisis permeates the everyday lives of Cubans, who face a situation many describe as challenging and fraught with uncertainty.