Cubanet, “Journalist in Cuba”, Havana, 24 March 2026 — The Nuestra América Convoy* arrived without incident on the announced date. Its crew members would have preferred greater media coverage, more noise and visibility, but they had to settle for the reach of Cuban state media and a few headlines on social networks that sparked more mockery and criticism than support. Cuba is not Gaza, as was pointed out long before the convoy members boarded their flight in first-class seats, and this has been confirmed following the end of the deplorable spectacle put on by spokespeople of a socialism perverted to the core, in the capital of a country dying of that same appropriated and lucrative socialism, all of which is no secret. Perhaps this is why the episode is all the more repugnant to us.
After meeting up they proceeded to the Convention Palace for a gathering presided over by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, whose mere presence underscores the importance of this caravan and its participants, and the real impact that this little adventure could have in the current context of the “talks.” There they boasted of the rampant misery (branded as “creative resistance”) in the Antilles, traded slogans, used up energy till they brought down the National Electrical System (SEN), then retired to their five-star hotel accommodations, ready to receive that committed Left that always puts its shoulder to the wheel for the people. From his luxurious room, Pablo Iglesias, one of the most despicable and terrifying politicians Spain has ever produced, celebrated himself and conveyed the message that while the crisis is tremendous, the island isn’t doing as badly as portrayed.
The former leader of Podemos had his selfies, his live broadcast, his five minutes of fame, and his tropical getaway, all paid for by the Socialist International. The rest of the truckers called for a sincere dialogue between Cuba and the United States, conveniently ignoring the fact that the convoy’s organizational advisor is the aunt of the lead negotiator for the Cuban side, who until a week ago claimed he wasn’t negotiating with the United States. Honesty above all else is what one can expect from the Havana regime. That’s why we learned on January 4th** that there were Cuban military personnel guarding Nicolás Maduro, a reality denied for years by the island’s diplomats.
Cuba isn’t in such dire straits, nor is it unreasonable, that transparency cannot be demanded from the dictatorship as it dialogues with the Trump administration while the Cuban people are deliberately ignored. It never occurred to any of the comrades, amidst all the sloganeering and proletarian embraces, to suggest that the government communicate with its citizens. Such are the friends of Cuba, those who get excited when Díaz-Canel claims that the people are prepared to die standing up to the United States. Fidel Castro assured Nikita Khrushchev of something similar during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Even today, many Cubans are unaware of how coldly the idolized leader sentenced an entire nation to death, speaking for those who then inhabited the island.
Currently, the more the Trump administration denies that a military operation in Cuba will take place, the more Havana escalates its confrontational rhetoric. While there is no one left in the White House who hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a military intervention, here come the fleet drivers, ready to soak in the rhetoric of resistance to the last drop of foreign blood, while Silvio Rodríguez shows up requesting an AKM “in case they come at us…” And who would “they” be? So far, only Cubans themselves have attacked—those who suffer blackouts, political repression, hunger, and shortages of all kinds; those who have no right to demand that the dialogue be with them; those who have repeatedly asked that the problem be resolved collectively by all Cubans, without reservations.
Silvio Rodríguez continues to widen the gap between the people and his miserable existence as a militant singer-songwriter. It won’t be long before his work can no longer save him from the disgust and disappointment his pronouncements provoke. It won’t be long before we see if he’ll actually be capable of responding with his AKM to the call to arms that Díaz-Canel (or anyone else up there) might be willing to issue as soon as circumstances demand it.
The troubadour, once again, turns his back on his people and closes ranks with the dictatorship he has loyally served as symbolic capital. He aligns himself with a nefarious Pablo Iglesias in this final charade, blaming the “blockade” *** and minimizing the regime’s blunders. Iglesias seeks to salvage his lamentable political image, and Silvio doesn’t miss the opportunity to demonstrate that he is willing to die as he lived: being a fool.
The founder of Nueva Trova will never confront Castroism, no matter how unjust its designs or how ruthless its aggressions towards the people. Rodríguez demonstrated as much during the protests of July 2021. Any statement he makes against the regime would come thirty years too late, overshadowed by the coherence by which another, truly great, Pablo chose to live out the remainder of his life.
Silvio’s train left without him, he lost his unicorn, his ventricles shrank. All he has left is his AKM. We’ll see if he’s capable of pointing it at us, although he’ll probably end up using it to defend himself against the ill will his words have stirred in the hearts of thousands of Cubans.
Translated By: Alicia Barraqué Ellison.
Translator’s Notes:
* The convoy was named after an essay by José Martí. Martí has always, throughout Cuba’s history, been referred to as the “Apostle of Cuban Independence.”
** U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife on January 3.
*** There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the ongoing US embargo. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the US ordered a Naval blockade (which it called a ‘quarantine’) on Cuba in 1962, between 22 October and 20 November of that year. The blockade was lifted when Russia agreed to remove its nuclear missiles from the Island. The embargo had been imposed earlier in February of the same year, and although modified from time to time, it is still in force.