Laritza Camacho Exposes Harsh Realities Hidden from Official Cuban News

The Cuban broadcaster and actress Laritza Camacho delivered a stark commentary on Thursday about the widespread hunger, diseases, violence, and emigration plaguing Cuba. Her insights are drawn from everyday occurrences that, she asserts, any resident can identify within their neighborhoods, families, or social circles, even if these issues remain absent from official news outlets.

Sharing her thoughts on Facebook, Camacho criticized the disparity between the figures reported, the international accolades Cuba receives, and the daily realities faced by those living on the island.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Growing Distrust

Camacho began by recalling the COVID-19 pandemic and the skepticism that, according to her, arose as infections and deaths started to affect those close to her. "During the COVID era, you listened to the reports with respect, but when the sick and dead became people you knew, or were from your neighborhood, you realized that the numbers had to be higher than reported," she wrote.

This comparison set the stage for her main argument: the lived reality can vastly differ from the narratives presented by official statistics and reports.

Sanitation and Health Concerns

Camacho extended this perception to the country's health challenges, citing hepatitis A and the accumulation of waste in the streets. "When you have hepatitis A and see numerous others with the same issue, it's clear that street trash causes more harm than public decoration concerns," she stated.

The worry over health and hygiene conditions has recent precedents. By the end of September, the Ministry of Public Health acknowledged a rise in transmissible diseases amid water, sanitation, and waste collection problems. Health authorities admitted to challenges related to dengue, chikungunya, diarrheal diseases, hepatitis, and respiratory infections.

While garbage accumulation and the decline in basic services contribute to this scenario, each infection's cause needs specific medical and epidemiological evaluation.

The Impact of Mass Emigration

Camacho also reflected on the mass migration, not through statistics, but through farewells and empty homes. "When your acquaintances head to Brazil or distant lands, and everyone has plans to leave, the announced million emigrants feel like an undercount," she remarked.

Her narrative shifted from numbers to the family consequences of migration. "When all your friends, neighbors, and coworkers have children abroad, no one needs to explain the Cuban's solitude or silent tears," she added. "When there are more than two empty houses on your block, you know many have left, and soon there won't be anyone to tend to the market stall."

The Daily Struggle for Survival

Camacho addressed the difficulties of transportation and the effect of rising costs on workers. "When you see many people using makeshift bikes and others walking in the heat, it's evident many cannot afford the trip to work or home," she noted, highlighting the economic constraints that limit daily mobility.

One of her most striking remarks targeted wages and the challenge of meeting basic needs. "When your salary is gone within a day, and all you've bought is hunger, you don't need a disguise to be seen as a 'vulnerable worker' or 'worker vulnerable,'" she wrote.

The loss of purchasing power has been documented in recent accounts. At the end of September, a worker demonstrated how basic food purchases could consume nearly all of her 5,000-peso salary, leaving insufficient funds for meat, eggs, or oil.

This issue was also covered in an analysis of Cuba's food crisis, which included inflation data and survey results showing a significant portion of households struggled to access food.

Confronting Street Violence

Street violence was another key theme in Camacho's commentary. She recounted an incident involving a man who, according to a WhatsApp group message, was left in a coma after being struck with a pipe during a robbery for his motorcycle. "When in your small WhatsApp group, a friend frantically talks about a cousin in a coma after being hit with a pipe to steal his bike... you know horror isn't just a Saturday night movie," she wrote.

According to her, the man later died, and the same hospital housed other individuals severely injured by violent episodes. "When in the same hospital, beside that man (who eventually dies), there are many others beaten and seriously injured due to assaults and street violence, you realize the dead are piling up, and the pain is overflowing," she stated.

International Recognition vs. Local Reality

Camacho concluded her reflection by addressing Cuba's international image, highlighting the contrast between the issues she described and the accolades received by the country's authorities. "When none of this appears in the news, but you read that your starving, violent, and dark Cuba received an international prize for sustainability and food culture, you realize the world knows nothing of what happens in your homeland or turns a blind eye, complicit in all that occurs," she concluded.

This latest commentary continues a trend of public criticisms that Camacho has maintained over the past weeks. Earlier this month, reflecting on nostalgia and the deterioration of daily life, she stated, "No one would miss the taste of bread if they weren't eating rocks," a metaphor for current hardships and the longing for better times.

Days later, she directly challenged Cuban leaders, asserting they "should protest against themselves," holding them accountable for the conditions faced by the population. By late September, she had criticized efforts to censor images depicting the country's decline, pointing out that "the problem has never been the photo or the photographer."