A video titled “The true face of the Cuban capital” garnered more than 3 million views on YouTube in just a couple of weeks, with footage offering a candid glimpse into Centro Habana, a neighbourhood adjacent to Havana’s historic district.
Viewers are shown scenes of vintage cars, bicycle taxis, street vendors, long queues, sewage pools, and piles of garbage, alongside dilapidated houses that seem on the verge of collapse.
“This street is dangerous, but everyone knows it’s not the only one,” a voice remarks, followed by a clip circulating on social media showing a woman reportedly injured by falling debris in the same area.
The voice belongs to Jorge Luis Llanes, whose channel, The Spartan Vlog, has nearly 400,000 subscribers, making him one of the most prominent YouTubers in Cuba.
This emergence of Cuban content creators is relatively new in a country that, according to tech company NordVPN, has the slowest internet in the world.
Llanes, 39, is from Centro Habana and not only captures life in Havana but also ventures to other parts of the Caribbean nation governed by the Communist Party.
Revealing Cuba’s reality
“My goal is to showcase everything about Cuba,” Llanes tells dpa, emphasizing his commitment to transparency. However, this endeavour comes with significant risks.
Luis Frómeta Compte, a German citizen, is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence in Cuba for filming a demonstration in July 2021.
Thousands of Cubans peacefully protested across the country against government mismanagement and called for greater freedoms on July 11 and 12 that year.
These protests marked the largest public demonstrations since the 1959 revolution. The Communist government portrayed the unrest as a US-led attempt to destabilize Cuba and responded with a heavy-handed crackdown.
As a result, hundreds of demonstrators remain imprisoned today, and even unfavourable social media posts can lead to legal repercussions.
Since the 1960s, the United States has maintained an embargo against Cuba, imposing economic sanctions and placing restrictions on travel and commerce for individuals and companies under US jurisdiction.
These long-standing restrictions have significantly impacted the everyday lives of Cubans, contributing to widespread economic hardships.
“For the average Cuban, who earns between $10 and $15 a month, it is extremely difficult to save enough to purchase an apartment, even as prices in Centro Habana continue to drop.”
“If owners are selling their flats with all their belongings, it’s often because they are leaving the country – something that’s become increasingly common,” Llanes explains in his video.
Official figures indicate that Cuba’s population has declined by nearly 10% in 2022 and 2023 alone.
The internet is slow and expensive
Mobile data has only been accessible in Cuba for about six years. Prior to that, the only option was to visit a park and connect to an expensive public network.
Even today, very few people have wi-fi access, and those who do must purchase time cards from the authorities. Llanes relies on mobile data to upload his videos, a process that takes about an hour and a half.
“Not only is the internet slow, but it’s also costly,” he notes, adding that he frequently faces power outages. There are also instances when internet access is blocked, especially following the protests three years ago that gained momentum through social media.
While the internet offers a window into the realities of life in Cuba through platforms like YouTube, it also provides Cubans the chance to look beyond the island’s borders.
“With internet access, we can see what is really happening in the world and understand how it works,” says Llanes. “This knowledge goes beyond what we are taught in schools, books, and on television.”
However, many websites and apps remain blocked due to both state censorship and the ongoing US embargo.
Cubans abroad learn about Cuba
Olivia Solís first discovered the emerging wave of Cuban YouTubers, including Jorge Luis Llanes, two and a half years ago and decided to try her hand at it.
Initially, the 32-year-old focused on beauty tips, but after receiving advice from her mother, who lives in Miami, she shifted her content.
“Why don’t you create videos about Cuba? People love that – especially us Cubans abroad who want to stay connected with what’s happening back home,” recalls Solís, who lives on the outskirts of Havana with her husband and their tomcat.
With a degree in computer science, Solís has now amassed over 82,000 subscribers and earns a living from her YouTube channel. However, due to the US embargo, she can’t directly receive payments in Cuba. Instead, her mother in the US manages the funds and forwards them to her.
Solís produces many videos that showcase her tours through Havana, accompanied by voiceovers discussing current topics in Cuba. Her most popular video offers valuable tips for visitors to the island.
She has also launched a second channel, a video diary where she shares the unboxing of donations sent by viewers from abroad, primarily food items that she distributes to four families in need in her neighbourhood.
Navigating state repression
Other Cuban YouTubers have left the country because of problems with the state. One of them, Dina Stars, was detained at her home during a live interview on Spanish television.
Solís says despite this, she occasionally speaks out about Cuba’s issues. She adds, “There have been times when I’ve thought, ‘Wow, they might come for me.’ So far, I think I’ve been lucky.”
Llanes says discussing topics such as political prisoners is particularly sensitive. Activists estimate that there are more than 1,100 of them currently in Cuba.
While Llanes also hasn’t faced major repercussions yet, he expresses a strong desire to emigrate, preferably to Germany.
“I want to leave Cuba for the same reasons as everyone else: no matter how much you earn here, it’s impossible to live fully because of all the challenges.”
