In a recent call to action, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel urged the nation's youth and teenagers to actively defend the regime on social media, framing it as a "duty."
"Every day, we must vindicate Cuba, individually and collectively," declared Díaz-Canel, who leads the so-called "continuity" of the regime. He labeled critical information about the government as a tactic to "colonize our minds and control us."
This message was shared via a video on Cubadebate and was part of a series of events and statements by the leader commemorating the 64th anniversary of the Union of Young Communists (UJC).
A Call to Defend the Regime
In the video, Díaz-Canel urged supporters to stand firm in defense of the regime, but to do so "in the most cultured, emotional way, without vulgarities or trivialities."
He dismissed information that contradicts the official narrative as "vulgar and banal media intoxication," categorizing it as part of what he described as "cultural colonization."
"We must break through this vulgar, banal media intoxication they're trying to impose on us, which is part of cultural colonization," he asserted.
Recycling Old Rhetoric
This rhetoric is not new. Back in March 2025, Díaz-Canel distributed a special pamphlet urging members and militants of the PCC and UJC to "vindicate Cuba, the current Cuba that withstands and creates amidst threats and storms."
In July of that year, during the X Plenary of the PCC Central Committee, he reiterated the call to defend Cuba from every digital space.
The Harsh Reality
The term "media intoxication" has become a familiar refrain for Díaz-Canel, used in March 2024 to downplay protests in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo and in June 2025 to justify ETECSA's increase in telecommunication rates.
However, the propagandistic discourse is starkly contrasted by the reality faced by young Cubans. Since 2021, over a million Cubans, predominantly those in their twenties and forties, have left the island.
A staggering 78% of Cubans express a desire to emigrate, and 89% live in extreme poverty, according to a 2025 study by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights.
Disillusionment Among the Young
This disillusionment is reflected within the UJC itself, which saw its membership plummet from 609,000 in 2007 to 415,000 in 2024—a loss of over 200,000 members in 17 years.
Those who remain and voice their dissent face direct repression. On March 13, dozens took to the streets in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, chanting "Freedom!" and "Homeland and Life" in response to power outages and shortages, resulting in five arrests and one injury.
Two teenagers, Jonathan David Muir Burgos and Christian de Jesús Crespo Álvarez, both 16, were detained following these protests and face severe charges, including sabotage.
A Recipe for Happiness?
On Saturday, in an interview with the official newspaper Juventud Rebelde, Díaz-Canel offered young people a recipe for happiness, quoting Karl Marx: "Happiness lies in the struggle."
His final advice was a triple repetition of a single verb: Study, study, study. Meanwhile, Cuba has experienced six national blackouts since December 2024, and countless young professionals struggle to afford a week's worth of food with their wages.
Understanding Díaz-Canel's Influence on Cuban Youth
What did Díaz-Canel urge Cuban youth to do on social media?
Díaz-Canel urged Cuban youth to actively defend the regime on social media, describing it as a duty.
How does Díaz-Canel describe information critical of the government?
He describes critical information as "vulgar and banal media intoxication" and part of a "cultural colonization" effort.
What is the current state of youth in Cuba according to recent studies?
Recent studies indicate that 78% of Cubans wish to emigrate and 89% live in extreme poverty, highlighting the challenging conditions faced by the youth.