Armando Tomey Criticizes Díaz-Canel's "Utopian Dream": "A Puppet, a Clown, and an Oppressor"

Cuban actor Armando Tomey recently shared a video on his Instagram account, using everyday analogies to dismantle Miguel Díaz-Canel's rhetoric about the so-called "Cuban utopia." This came as a direct response to a statement made by the Cuban leader during a July 20, 2026 interview with RT en Español.

During the interview, Díaz-Canel referenced a metaphor popularized by Eduardo Galeano and originally attributed to filmmaker Fernando Birri: "Utopia is on the horizon. When we take two steps forward, it moves two steps away. And the horizon advances ten steps. What purpose does utopia serve? To keep us moving. Hope, I would say, is the same."

This phrase was largely perceived as an evasive tactic to avoid providing concrete solutions to the island's ongoing crisis.

Analogies that Expose the Reality

Tomey countered with a series of analogies highlighting the gap between official discourse and the Cuban reality: "It's like living near a canal and trying to convince you that I'm living by a mighty river like the Mississippi."

The comparisons continue with surgical precision. "It's as if I'm walking backward and want you to believe I'm moving forward," the actor asserts. He adds, "It's like having mud up to my neck and trying to convince you I'm enjoying a luxurious swim in Varadero."

Direct Criticism of Political Repression

In a pointed critique of political repression, Tomey states, "It's like imprisoning people for thinking differently and then claiming there are no political prisoners."

The video's climax directly targets Díaz-Canel himself: "It's like believing I'm the president of a country when in reality I'm just a puppet, a clown, and an oppressor. It's believing I'm intelligent when all I'm spewing is garbage, garbage, and more garbage."

Reactions from the Cuban Diaspora

In the reel's description, Tomey didn't hold back, describing the "Cuban Utopia" as "more than a Machiavellian joke; it's a deadly cancer that has destroyed a nation by subjecting it to hunger, repression, and despair."

Tomey wasn't alone in his reaction. Comedian Ulises Toirac offered a parody mocking the metaphor with references to power outages and the failure of the "utopian journey," while actor Luis Alberto García demanded "actions, not promises" on July 22.

Context of Díaz-Canel's Interview

The backdrop of Díaz-Canel's interview intensified the criticism: in the same conversation with RT, he admitted that a fuel ship hadn't arrived in Cuba for six months—except for a Russian one—in a country that needs between 90,000 and 110,000 barrels daily but only produces about 40,000. Additionally, he promised to implement 121 of over 170 economic transformations by the end of July 2026.

Tomey, who was born in Camagüey and graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte in 1981, moved to the United States in 2013 and currently resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida. From exile, he consistently voices criticism against the Cuban regime. This isn't his first recent statement; on July 4, he posted the message "¿Y Cuba pa cuándo?" questioning the island's direction.

The video garnered 5,598 likes and 383 comments, reflecting the frustration of thousands of Cubans with an official narrative that, instead of solutions, offers horizons that continually recede.