Cuban from Sancti Spíritus Explores Why Calls to Protest Fall on Deaf Ears

A Cuban living abroad, who frequently returns to the island, recently recorded a thought-provoking video from a neighborhood in Sancti Spíritus. The video addresses a long-standing question dividing Cubans at home and abroad: why do calls from exiles to rise up against the regime fail to spark widespread action among a population suffering from an ever-deepening crisis?

Yusmani Companioni Vila shared the video on Facebook titled "From the neighborhood that saw me grow up in our beautiful Cuba." Surrounded by motorbikes, small businesses, vendors, and people waiting for transportation, he offered his perspective: for many Cubans, the immediate priority isn't political confrontation but securing daily necessities.

"Why don't the people around me, those in my environment, resonate with that cry for freedom you want to share: 'The dictatorship must fall, hit the streets now'?" he questioned.

His answer was straightforward: "These people are in survival mode. They need to solve the problem and solve it now."

Companioni Vila filmed at the corner of Céspedes, Sexta Street, Ranfla, and Quinta Street, in the very neighborhood where he grew up. Although he has spent "many years outside" of Cuba, he claims to return to the island two, three, or even four times a month.

The scene he uses to support his argument is common: motorbikes used for transport, small businesses, and people hustling for income in an economy where meeting basic needs has become a daily challenge.

"Here are heads of families, people who have to go home and focus on making money and finding food," he stated.

For Companioni Vila, this urgent struggle for survival helps explain the gap between political calls made from abroad and the priorities of those facing scarcity in Cuba every day.

He also harshly criticized those outside the island who constantly urge Cubans to protest without considering the circumstances in which they live. "The problem is, you keep talking nonsense, telling people to hit the streets, saying if Cuba isn't free, you just need to leave, that this can't be tolerated anymore," he expressed.

He summarized his point with a phrase: "That's why your cry for freedom doesn't reach them. Because the solution is immediate."

This reflection, however, doesn't imply that protests have vanished in Cuba. On the contrary, 2026 has been marked by numerous expressions of social discontent, many related to power outages, food shortages, and deteriorating living conditions.

According to the Cuban Conflict Observatory, there were 107 street protests recorded in June, a record number, with 82 concentrated in Havana and another 18 in Santiago de Cuba.

One of the most significant occurred in March when residents of Morón in Ciego de Ávila staged cacerolazos and shouted "Freedom!" during a protest that resulted in damage to the local Communist Party headquarters and at least five arrests.

However, these demonstrations have largely been local and have not led to a sustained national mobilization.

A Divisive Message

Companioni Vila's words also sparked mixed reactions among those who commented on his post. Some supported his argument that the immediate needs of Cubans should take precedence over calls made from afar.

"Don't worry about those few who criticize you, you're doing the right thing. The solution is now, so ordinary Cubans, children, and the sick don't keep dying," wrote one user, who also questioned those who "push others to protest from a distance."

However, some internet users interpreted his speech differently and accused him of justifying the Cuban reality. "You defend the system and say nothing because you don't want your business to end," commented another, asserting that "what's happening today isn't a life" and reproaching him for trying to "defend the indefensible."

Others questioned his frequent trips to the island. "Take advantage and stay in your neighborhood... live in survival mode... and stop bringing your dollars to that dictatorship," wrote another user.

In contrast, some comments highlighted the help Companioni Vila claims to provide to vulnerable people. A Cuban living in Europe recalled a video where he gave a chair and money to a disabled neighbor, praising it as proof of "the great man you are." Some even use his posts to ask him directly for help: a woman from Cumanayagua wrote that her husband is disabled and begged him to visit her area.

This exchange broadens the debate initiated by the video: while some view addressing the material needs of those living in Cuba as a concrete response to the crisis, others argue that such help might normalize a situation they believe to be fundamentally political.