Cuban Actress Exposes Racial Discrimination at Havana Nightspot

In a video shared on her Instagram account, Cuban actress Anniet Forte recounted an incident in Havana, where she witnessed a "blatantly racist" act.

“On Friday, December 12, I saw an act of discrimination. Yes, right here in Havana. In front of me, a young man and his girlfriend were denied entry into a venue simply because they are Black,” the content creator revealed in the video, which quickly sparked reactions among her followers.

Forte explained that she was able to enter the establishment without a reservation, while the couple was turned away.

“I didn’t have a reservation, yet I could enter. Many people, who were my friends and also hadn't reserved, were allowed in before us. I asked them, ‘Do you have a reservation?’ They said no,” she recounted, highlighting that the venue’s excuse was unfounded.

The actress also noted that after her public complaint, the venue posted a message on social media claiming they had welcomed people "of all colors" that night, which she called a “cynical response” to the incident.

“If I hadn’t witnessed the humiliation they put that young man through, I might have believed them. But the truth is, I saw it,” she insisted, emphasizing that racism remains a problem in Cuba that should not be downplayed under any circumstances.

Forte also expressed regret that after her denunciation, several people reached out to her, sharing similar experiences at the same place with the same employee involved in the discriminatory act.

“Racism isn’t less harmful because it’s selective. It’s the same prejudice exercised by someone in a position of power,” she asserted. “I refuse to be complacent in the face of such humiliation. I will not tolerate any form of discrimination,” she declared.

Although she mentioned the venue's name during a live broadcast, she chose not to disclose it in her recent post, despite numerous requests from users urging her to name the establishment to encourage a boycott on social media.

As of now, the venue's management has not issued an official response to the accusations on Anniet Forte’s page.

Racial discrimination remains a sensitive issue in Cuba, where activists and artists have denounced the persistence of structural prejudices in various aspects of public and private life.

The authorities have claimed that racism was "eradicated" post-Revolution, but numerous voices inside and outside the country argue that the reality is far from this narrative.