The recent piece published by the pro-regime outlet Razones de Cuba, titled “Cubans Don’t Surrender, Mr. Trump,” once again emphasizes the "courage and heroism" that the Cuban government regularly highlights in its propaganda.
This is not an isolated incident but rather a continuation of a long-standing political rhetoric that has characterized the regime's communication for decades: epic, emotional, and centered around the concept of perpetual resistance against an external adversary.
The issue lies not in the antiquated language of the State Security poets, but in their increasingly limited ability to accurately depict the nation's reality. Here, the Venezuelan situation serves as an uncomfortable mirror for Humberto Dionil López Suárez and his Counterintelligence masters.
The Familiar Tale
The official narrative once again weaves the classic tale of the dictatorship: a heroic populace, a history of sacrifices and victories, and an external threat that reinforces national identity.
References to events like the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, or military missions in Africa are not meant to provide context but to construct a symbolic continuity of Castroism: a nation that never yields.
This very framework was exploited for years by the Chavist regime in Venezuela. In response to sanctions, economic crises, and international isolation, the official discourse persisted in emphasizing resistance, sovereignty, and confrontation with the United States as a rallying point.
For a while, it appeared to work—until the population's fatigue with the abusers and corrupt officials reached its limit.
The Limits of Heroism
In Venezuela, this narrative began to crumble when the daily reality could no longer sustain it. Scarcity, rampant inflation, and mass emigration imposed a reality that the propaganda learned in Havana could neither explain nor solve.
The rhetoric of resistance continued, but with diminishing capacity for real mobilization. It remained largely as an internal affirmation charade rather than an effective tool for social cohesion.
“Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend Venezuela’s territory, sovereignty, and peace. Missiles and rifles for the working class, so they can defend our homeland!” declared Nicolás Maduro in late August 2025, as the U.S. military began deploying in the Caribbean, and Washington accused him of leading a “narco-terrorist cartel.”
The Chavist leader and his inner circle spoke of deploying 4.5 million militiamen to respond to what they called “extravagant threats” from the United States, claiming they were “prepared, activated, and armed.”
The events of January 3, 2026, with Maduro's capture following a U.S. military operation, highlighted this gap: the epic narrative did not translate into the real ability to hold power under extreme pressure.
Cuban Parallels
In Cuba, the discourse follows a similar logic. The Razones de Cuba article insists that external pressure will only fuel more resistance.
However, it conveniently sidesteps any reference to internal factors that currently define the Cuban experience: prolonged power outages, structural shortages, deteriorating basic services, and an unprecedented wave of emigration.
The real country is not one of epic heroism but of daily survival.
This is where the primary weakness of the discourse lies: it portrays a homogeneous society, united and willing to sacrifice, whereas, in reality, fatigue, uncertainty, and, in many cases, despair and the desire to leave prevail.
More Myth than Reality
Another key element is the use of the January 3 episode in Venezuela as proof of the "irreducible" nature of the Cubans.
Beyond the versions and figures, the article elevates it to a symbol, reinforcing the idea that even under extreme conditions, the response will always be the same: resist.
“We knew they would behave like titans even in their last battle. They offered their lives in a fierce fight,” said Díaz-Canel in mid-January, extolling their "heroism" from the Anti-Imperialist Tribune.
However, such narrative constructions often function more as myth than as diagnosis. They simplify complex scenarios and attempt to turn them into moral examples, but they do not provide tools to understand the real challenges.
A Discourse Under Strain
The insistence on this type of narrative reveals, more than strength, a growing tension. When a discourse needs to constantly lean on history to explain itself, it is often because the present is more difficult to justify.
The parallel with Venezuela is not exact but illustrative: there, the epic lost its effectiveness when it ceased to connect with the concrete experiences of the population. In Cuba, this process seems to be moving in the same direction.
Ultimately, the problem is not the appeal to resistance, but its disconnection from a country that has changed. Because when reality no longer fits the narrative, the narrative ceases to be convincing.
Understanding Cuban and Venezuelan Narratives
Why does Cuban propaganda focus on heroism and resistance?
Cuban propaganda emphasizes heroism and resistance to foster a sense of national pride and unity against perceived external threats, drawing from historical events to maintain continuity with its revolutionary past.
What parallels exist between Cuban and Venezuelan government narratives?
Both Cuban and Venezuelan governments have employed narratives of heroism and resistance against external adversaries to maintain political cohesion and justify their regimes amid internal and external pressures.