AREQUIPA, Peru – Lis Cuesta, wife of dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel, celebrated this weekend the day of the Virgin of Regla, or Yemayá, a similar deity in the Yoruba religion. Through a post in X (formerly Twitter), the infamous “first lady” of the Island sent a prayer for the well-being of Cubans.
“Beautiful Virgin of the Blue, Yemayá, protect the Cubans with your sacred mantle, come from Mother Africa,” he wrote.
As a staunch defender of the Castro regime and its political discourse, Cuesta also asked the Virgin to extend her love “to the Palestinians, who suffer so much” along its waters.
However, the plea was met with a wave of criticism from Cubans, who expressed their discontent through comments.
“Cubans do not need protection, what we Cubans need is for your husband and the PCC to let us be happy, free and live in peace,” said a user identified as Taoro.
“Stop the hypocrisy and dragging the Palestinians into everything. Cubans need you to finally get out of power. Note that Cuba is worse off than Haiti and Palestine, without having received a single bomb, only communism,” demanded María del Pilar, another Internet user.
“Your hypocrisy and opportunism is astonishing. From officially atheists to false believers who use the religious symbols of the nation in their mediocre propaganda to defend their parasitic oligarchy before a destroyed and mistreated people. You have no shame!” commented a profile with the name Cazador de Ignorantes 2.
According to historical data, the cult of Our Lady of Regla It began in 1867, in a wooden hermitage in the then fishing village of Regla. Every September 7, Cuban religious people pay homage to the deity, a date that gives way to the celebrations for the day of the patron saint of Cuba, the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, held this Sunday.
Lis Cuesta Peraza, born on March 28, 1971, studied at the Institute of Pedagogical Sciences in Holguín, where she completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Before her relationship with Díaz-Canel, she worked in the communications department of the Provincial Sector of Culture, and later directed the Provincial Center for Books and Literature.
Her visibility in the public sphere began when Díaz-Canel assumed the position of first vice president of Cuba, but increased when he was named president. Since then, she has become a companion on international trips, an organizer of culinary events, doctor and defender of Castroism on social media.
The luxuries of Lis Cuesta
Cuesta has even traveled alone to Chinato meet with the First Lady of the Asian giant, Peng Liyuan, and discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, as happened five years ago.
But more recently, last year, marked by constant travel by the couple, Cuesta toured the colonial zone of Santo Domingo, together with first ladies from the Dominican Republic, Argentina, and Paraguay.
On her travels around the world she has dined in lavish restaurants, rubbed shoulders with other government representatives and been photographed buying in markets, as happened in Granada.
In 2022, Cuesta’s outfit generated a wave of criticism when he wore some shoes of an expensive brand that is not at all accessible to Cubans who live on their state salaries. On that occasion, she wore Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, valued at more than 350 dollars.
He also came back into the spotlight when he defended his thesis PhD “Pedagogical model for the export of academic services at the Paradiso agency” with a Cartier watch, valued at thousands of dollars.
In the photos of Lis Cuesta’s doctoral defense, you can see on her wrist a Cartierwhich on the official website of the French brand appears at prices between $5,000 and over $12,000.
In addition, Cuesta chairs the International Workshop Cuba Knowswhich aims to “promote the values of national Creole cuisine,” and which invites famous international chefs every year while thousands of people on the Island have nothing to eat.
At these annual events, the First Lady samples dishes at banquets, sips cigars and rum, and enjoys evenings with her husband.
