A 20-year-old Cuban shared his experience of being stopped by a security officer just five minutes after starting to take photos at Revolution Square. This encounter touched a nerve, resonating with hundreds of Cubans who have faced similar situations.
Rey Barranco García, who is both an acting student and a courier, posted on Facebook about his experience. After making a delivery near the square, he thought it was a good opportunity to snap some pictures in front of the monument's obelisk for his personal profile.
The incident was brief but revealing. Within minutes, a security officer approached him, asking his purpose there. The officer's first question was, "Are you a tourist or a Cuban?"
Upon answering that he was Cuban, the officer continued questioning him, asking if he was a student. Rey explained his situation, showed his photos, and mentioned he was leaving. The situation didn't escalate, but it prompted Rey to share his thoughts.
"If I had put on a Colombian accent and said I was from Colombia, I'm sure I could have taken more photos," he wrote.
His conclusion was even more disheartening: "Now my duty is to learn which places in Cuba I can't visit just because I'm Cuban."
The comments on his post turned the story into a collective account of exclusion. One user recalled that at Havana's Capitol, "tourists could sit on the steps, but Cubans were not allowed."
Another noted that in Tarará, locals are treated "as if they were going to plant a bomb," and similar stories abound in Varadero. A third commented, "We are strangers in our own land. The only country in the world where foreigners are treated better than nationals."
Another commenter summarized it with irony: "If he had been Colombian, they would have offered him a rental house, cigars, rum, and more." A user remembered a shared experience: "We spent years unable to rent a hotel room, even if we had the money."
This last comment refers to a formal policy upheld by the regime between 1993 and 2008, when Cubans were prohibited from staying in hotels and accessing tourist areas reserved for foreigners, a practice known as "tourist apartheid." Although Raúl Castro lifted this ban in March 2008, practical barriers have persisted.
Years later, discrimination against nationals continues, with numerous reported cases: Cubans being denied entry to the Hotel Capri in Havana; beach umbrellas at Mar Azul reserved "only for foreigners"; a journalist expelled from the Starfish Guardalavaca hotel in Holguín despite having a paid reservation; and Havana hotels admitting Cubans only from Monday to Friday, reserving weekends for foreign tourists.
Rey Barranco García's experience adds a new dimension to these episodes: the discrimination took place not in a hotel or private beach, but in the country's most iconic public space, the very place where the regime holds its parades and proclaims its messages of equality.
Understanding Discrimination in Cuba
What happened to Rey Barranco García at Revolution Square?
Rey Barranco García, a Cuban student and courier, was stopped by a security officer within five minutes of taking photos at Revolution Square, questioned about his nationality, and told to leave as he was Cuban, not a tourist.
Why is Rey's experience significant?
Rey's experience highlights ongoing discrimination against Cubans in their own country, reflecting broader systemic issues where nationals are often treated as second-class citizens in public spaces.
What is "tourist apartheid" in Cuba?
"Tourist apartheid" refers to the policy that existed from 1993 to 2008, preventing Cubans from accessing hotels and tourist areas reserved for foreigners. Although the policy was officially lifted, its effects linger.