Alfredito Fominaya, a young Cuban, shared a powerful video on Facebook challenging the regime's narrative: signature campaigns do nothing to alleviate the daily struggles of the Cuban people.
"Signatures won't fill the water bucket for a bath, nor will they silence the cries of a child who can't sleep at three in the morning because of the suffocating heat and relentless mosquitoes," Fominaya asserts.
His assessment of the current situation is scathing: "While they sign, our homeland crumbles at home. Without water, without sleep, without food, and with fear."
The Reality Behind "My Signature for the Homeland"
Fominaya refers to the "My Signature for the Homeland" campaign, presented by the Communist Party as a "spontaneous" civil society movement to support the government.
The video directly challenges the regime's oft-repeated defense: blaming the U.S. embargo for all Cuba's problems.
"The embargo is a well-told tale by malicious narrators, believed only by those unwilling to open their eyes," he states.
Seeking True Solutions
For Fominaya, the answer lies not in propaganda or bravado towards the United States, but in real changes: "Our nation's issue will be resolved when a child can sleep peacefully, when a young person can speak freely without fear, and when a grandparent can enjoy their grandchildren's presence, not abroad, and without worrying about what to eat at night."
A Voice of Digital Dissent
Fominaya is no stranger to digital dissent in Cuba.
In March, he garnered viral attention by criticizing Silvio Rodríguez when it was revealed that the troubadour received a real AKM rifle during an official ceremony presided over by Miguel Díaz-Canel: "You chose the wrong instrument. You preferred to wield an AKM to support the oppressor instead of the guitar, which is what you know how to use to inspire the people," he told Rodríguez.
This visibility came at a cost. On April 8, Fominaya reported that State Security threatened him with fabricated charges: "A friend was approached and told that State Security has me in their sights, that they're going to invent a case against me, associate me with something, create something; they're creative enough to do it."
The pattern he describes is not new. Members of the El4tico project, Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez, have been detained for over two months since their arrest on February 6 in Holguín. On April 20, they marked 72 days in provisional detention without a trial date, accused of "propaganda against the constitutional order."
Fominaya concludes his video with a plea that echoes the sentiments of thousands of Cubans both inside the country and in the diaspora: "Freedom for those who have decided to speak out. Even if it has cost them their freedom. May God bless this land."
Understanding Cuba's Political Climate
What is the "My Signature for the Homeland" campaign?
The "My Signature for the Homeland" campaign is a movement presented by the Communist Party in Cuba, portrayed as a spontaneous civil society effort to show support for the government.
Why does Alfredito Fominaya criticize the signature campaigns?
Fominaya argues that signature campaigns do not address the real issues faced by Cubans, such as lack of basic necessities and fear, and he calls for genuine changes rather than propaganda.
What consequences has Fominaya faced for his activism?
Fominaya has been threatened with fabricated charges by State Security, a common tactic used against dissenters in Cuba.