Cuban comedian Rigoberto Ferrera shared a video on Facebook this Friday that humorously critiques the regime's official signature collection campaign. With his trademark sarcasm, Ferrera announces that signatures are being gathered, but for garbage removal in Havana.
The 34-second clip, captioned simply with "This needs to be picked up. Regards, The Communal Whip," was filmed on Perfecto Lacoste Street in the capital. It shows piles of trash littering the public street, seemingly with a Communist Party office visible in the background.
Ferrera quips, "Signatures are being collected here on Perfecto Lacoste to clean up the trash," standing in front of a heap of garbage. He concludes, "This needs to be picked up, my friend. For a better city." The pun is straightforward yet impactful: while Miguel Díaz-Canel's regime rallies to gather millions of signatures for a political declaration, Havana remains buried under piles of uncollected waste.
Propaganda vs. Reality
The official campaign Ferrera mocks is titled "My Signature for the Homeland," launched by the Communist Party of Cuba on April 19 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Díaz-Canel was the first to sign at the Ciénaga de Zapata Memorial Museum in Matanzas, declaring, "We sign the unequivocal declaration that the Cuban Revolution will never negotiate its principles."
Amid another propaganda push from the dictatorship, dubbed "Girón Is Today and Always," millions of signatures are sought across communities, workplaces, and educational institutions. The usual pressure tactics urge the population to endorse the initiative.
Havana's Overwhelming Sanitation Crisis
What the regime fails to address is the alarming sanitary crisis in the Cuban capital. As of February, only 44 out of 106 garbage trucks were operational due to a diesel shortage. Havana generates between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic meters of solid waste daily but has only 10,000 containers, despite needing 20,000 to 30,000.
In response to state inaction, residents have resorted to burning trash in the streets, a situation described by blogger Yoani Sánchez on April 15 with the phrase, "Havana smells like burnt garbage." Ferrera himself documented this issue on April 20 in another video showing containers ablaze in the city. Ironically, while the regime extended signature books nationwide, Havana was literally burning in garbage.
Criticism and Resistance
The official campaign has been criticized by activists as forced propaganda. In Cárdenas, workers faced direct threats such as "Sign, or you know what awaits you." Opponent José Daniel Ferrer and activist Lara Crofs, among other critical voices, publicly called for a boycott, labeling the initiative as support for the "tyranny."
Dozens of Cuban netizens reacted to Ferrera's video with the same sharp humor that defines his work. One user quipped, "Who needs to be cleaned up first?" Another commented, "I'll sign for them to collect the trash and dump it far, far away." A third joked, "If they're collecting signatures for garbage pickup, they better specify which garbage, or the lines might be longer than on May Day." Finally, one observer astutely noted, "Even the PCC is about to gather signatures to fix their own trash heap."
Understanding Havana's Waste Management Crisis
What is the focus of Rigoberto Ferrera's video?
Rigoberto Ferrera's video humorously highlights the irony of the Cuban regime's signature campaign by suggesting that signatures are needed for garbage removal in Havana, rather than for political declarations.
What is the "My Signature for the Homeland" campaign?
The "My Signature for the Homeland" campaign is an initiative by the Communist Party of Cuba to gather signatures in support of a political declaration celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
How is Havana's garbage crisis affecting residents?
Due to a lack of operational garbage trucks and insufficient containers, Havana is overwhelmed with waste. Residents have resorted to burning trash in the streets, contributing to a severe sanitation crisis.
How have activists responded to the signature campaign?
Activists have criticized the campaign as forced propaganda. Some have reported threats to workers who refuse to sign, and opposition figures have called for a boycott, denouncing it as support for the regime's oppression.