Following a wave of criticism for her absence from official tours after Hurricane Melissa's impact, Lis Cuesta, the unofficial First Lady of Cuba, was seen this Wednesday in Mayarí, Holguín, her birthplace, alongside her husband.
“Today, from the perspective of Education and Culture, we reviewed the post-Melissa recovery in Mayarí. A beautiful school, with teachers and students who inspire hope,” Cuesta wrote on X.
The unofficial First Lady shared a photo with a group of students and teachers from a rural school, accompanied by her husband and the regime's Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso. The visit was to the Rubén Martínez Villena primary school in Cabonico’s district 82, “where 61 children receive classes and have the basic resources for comprehensive learning,” according to the local government’s Facebook page.
Aside from the photo on her X account, Cuesta was noticeably absent from other images featuring the governmental tour of a thermoelectric plant and the Levisa popular council.
“Where is the Holguin native, Lis Cuesta?” As eastern Cuba strives to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, which has left thousands of families without shelter and food, Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, remained silent and took a month to appear in the province.
Dubbed the “unofficial first lady” of the Cuban regime, Cuesta had not shown empathy towards the victims, limiting her public appearance to sharing political propaganda related to the U.S. embargo.
The disparity between this rhetoric and the dire reality faced by the victims has sparked criticism both inside and outside of Cuba. Social media users question, “Where is the Holguin native Lis Cuesta?” pointing out that despite being born in the province, she has not made any public displays of solidarity with her people.
“She only appears at international events, luxury hotels, or cultural missions; when the people suffer, she disappears,” wrote the alternative outlet ‘La Tijera,’ capturing a widely shared sentiment.
This isn't the first time Cuesta Peraza has drawn ire for her apparent disconnect from the citizens' struggles. In 2022, during prolonged blackouts, she infamously stated that her heart was “in mop mode,” a phrase that became a subject of mockery and memes for its perceived lack of empathy. Her image has since been associated with the frivolity of power and the stark contrast between privilege and the widespread poverty in the country.
In Holguín, the devastation is palpable: collapsed homes, destroyed crops, and entire communities cut off. Meanwhile, the “First Lady without a title” prefers to echo regime slogans about the embargo rather than face the tragedy affecting her own homeland.
The Silenced and Privileged "Unofficial First Lady"
The wife of Díaz-Canel has spent years embodying the role of a “woman of power” in a dictatorship that doesn't even officially recognize the title of the first lady. She insists that such a title is “bourgeois and patriarchal,” yet behaves accordingly whenever she accompanies her husband to red carpets, international banquets, or Communist Party events, adorned with designer dresses, jewelry, and luxury accessories.
When tragedy strikes the populace, Cuesta Peraza vanishes. There are no tears, no comfort, no human gesture. Her social media activism is limited to applauding slogans about the “genocidal blockade,” while ignoring blackouts, collapses, and children without medication.
Instead of empathy, she offers empty speeches about “resilience” and phrases that verge on the absurd, like her 2022 remark about having “a heart in mop mode” while millions of Cubans cooked with wood and slept in sweltering heat due to power outages.
Questions about Lis Cuesta and Hurricane Melissa
Who is Lis Cuesta?
Lis Cuesta is the wife of Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel and is often referred to as the "unofficial first lady" of Cuba, although the country does not officially recognize such a title.
What was the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Cuba?
Hurricane Melissa caused significant devastation in eastern Cuba, leaving thousands of families without shelter and food, and resulting in destroyed homes and crops.
Why has Lis Cuesta been criticized?
Lis Cuesta has faced criticism for her perceived absence and lack of empathy towards the victims of Hurricane Melissa, as well as for sharing political propaganda rather than addressing the needs of the affected people.