Havana/November barely brought any cold in Cuba, but it did bring a wind of rumors that blew strongly. It is not just that Cubans continue to rely on word of mouth as one of their main sources of information; is that, over and over again, the calls balls They end up being better political, economic and health analysts than the entire propaganda apparatus of the State.
The great protagonist of the month was the former Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil. The trial against the official, behind closed doors, caused an earthquake of conjecture: whether he has already been sentenced, whether the Prosecutor’s Office will request the death penalty, whether he is a scapegoat, whether this or that faction of the Party or the Armed Forces is behind his fall. The secrecy surrounding the process only fueled popular imagery, which already sees in the former architect of the Ordering Task the perfect target to distract attention from the national economic disaster. If the intention was to calm the rumors, the secrecy turned them into a fire.
But November wasn’t just content with courtroom dramas. There was also a lot of talk about the West Nile fever virus. The alarm was raised before the authorities issued any statement. Days after social networks were filled with messages about his alleged presence on the Island, Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health, denied the news.
In networks, Telegram threads and WhatsApp groups, warnings about dead birds and the possible spread of avian flu multiplied
In networks, Telegram threads and WhatsApp groups, warnings about dead birds and the possible spread of avian flu in Cuban territory multiplied. Reports of supposedly “more aggressive” mosquitoes and of patients with symptoms apparently consistent with West Nile fever also circulated widely. The Ministry of Health, true to its style, called for “calm” in the face of reports of numerous deaths as a result of the viruses that have spread across the Island. Calm, of course, was conspicuous by its absence.
In economic matters, the whispers have taken the absolute lead. With the attacks by the official apparatus against The Touch – blaming it for all the evils of the Cuban peso – speculation has reached Olympic levels: that informal currency purchasing groups will close, that there are massive arrests against illegal money changers and that the circulation of the dollar will once again be prohibited. Many of these ideas were fueled when the Ministry of the Interior confirmed the arrest of 13 people accused of managing remittances outside official channels.
Cultural politics did not escape the season either. Rumors about Lis Cuesta and an alleged corruption scandal with former Minister of Culture Abel Prieto circulated widely. Something similar happened with Fernando Rojas, vice minister of Culture: the old goings-on at Casa Canaria, published by 14ymedio At the time, they were revived this month accompanied by new anonymous complaints. Personal favors, renovations paid for with public funds, diversion of money and private use of state institutions make up a repertoire that, more than rumor, seems like an inevitable sequel. In this case, a letter signed by official figures came forward to address the accusations, making it clear that this type of nonsense is quite worrying “up there.”
There was also no shortage of allegations about irregularities with donations intended for the victims of Hurricane Melissa. Diversion of resources, products sold instead of being delivered free of charge, incomplete packages and manipulated lists of beneficiaries. The stories multiply and, although some cannot be verified, others were reported by name and surname. The lack of transparency in the distribution of humanitarian aid has always been fertile ground for popular distrust on the Island.
And as in every season of Cuban rumors, the presidential ball could not be missing: that Díaz-Canel will be removed, that there is already a political operation to replace him, that Marrero is gaining ground, that the Armed Forces have lost patience with “the job at hand”… Nothing new, but symptomatic. In a country where changes at the highest level are announced only after they are executed, Cubans return to the only thing they have left: the assumption as a national compass.
November confirmed, once again, that in Cuba gossip is a relevant part of the national diagnosis. Faced with official silence, citizens build, based on the rumors, their own early warning system. Although authorities often make fun of gossip, they read it, classify it and, from time to time, even try to respond to it.
