Díaz-Canel Expresses Concern for Cuban People: "I Wasn't Born into Wealth"

Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed his deep concern for the plight of the Cuban people during an extensive interview with journalist Mônica Bergamo for the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo. He emphasized his humble origins, stating, "I genuinely feel the pain of what our people are enduring, as I am one of them. I am the son of a worker and a teacher, not of an elite. I wasn't born into wealth, nor do I own properties. I have a house, the essentials for living, but without any special distinctions, accumulated wealth, or bank accounts."

U.S. Sanctions and Multidimensional Conflict

During the hour-long interview, conducted amid Cuba's most severe crisis in decades, Díaz-Canel disclosed that he, along with his wife and one of his children, has been sanctioned by the United States. He downplayed the impact of these sanctions, stating, "This means nothing to me. I have no bank accounts or interests in the U.S., and they cannot understand us because we are different."

The Cuban leader described the nation's situation as a "multidimensional war" orchestrated by Washington, encompassing ideological, cultural, economic, and media fronts, with the intention of inciting a social upheaval to topple the government.

Energy Crisis and Its Impact

Regarding the energy crisis, Díaz-Canel highlighted that only one oil shipment has arrived in the past seven months—a Russian humanitarian aid of 100,000 tons of crude—while the country requires seven oil tankers monthly. This shortage has left 1,400 MW of distributed generation capacity unused, which could have limited power outages to about three hours daily. Instead, blackouts extend beyond 20, 30, or even 40 hours, with complete system failures taking days to recover.

On August 5, the electricity generation deficit hit a historical high of over 2,411 MW.

Healthcare Challenges

Díaz-Canel shed light on the healthcare challenges exacerbated by the energy blockade. He revealed that over 64,000 children have fallen behind in vaccination schedules, more than 34,000 pregnant women lack access to ultrasounds, and infant mortality has doubled from the historical rate of four to five deaths per 1,000 live births.

Additionally, the waiting list for surgeries exceeds 98,000 patients, including 12,000 children. Over 117,000 cancer patients, among them approximately 1,200 minors, are not receiving primary oncological treatments. The healthcare system can only provide 30% of the essential medication list.

Hope Amidst Crisis

When asked if Cuba is on the brink of collapse, Díaz-Canel denied it, asserting, "There are blackouts, but none have extinguished the hope of the Cuban people. There are shortages, yet they haven't hindered our ability to grow."

Regarding potential dialogues with Washington, he acknowledged that communication channels are "quite stagnant." However, he maintained that there is a willingness to engage in discussions, noting that Cuban officials have met with their U.S. counterparts without achieving substantial progress.

Díaz-Canel dismissed claims that the 176 economic measures announced in June were concessions to the United States, describing them as the outcome of over a decade of internal debate within the Communist Party.

In response to concerns about his safety, referencing the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, he stated, "When one is committed to giving their life for the cause, what is there to fear? That decision is made. If it happens, it happens. But it won't be out of weakness or cowardice—it will be fighting, fighting."

The Cuban leader indicated he has approximately two years remaining in his presidential term and three in his leadership role within the Communist Party.