Havana - A Cuban clothing brand was forced to apologize Monday for an ad campaign that made light of the growing number of Cubans making the perilous journey to the US border which provoked a social media firestorm.
Since 2017, the island’s citizens have no longer automatically qualified for asylum when reaching the United States, prompting some -- fleeing Cuba’s rapidly worsening economy -- to join so-called human caravans headed for Washington. Clandestina’s campaign opens with a smiling couple wearing the brand’s t-shirts at Havana airport, but their smiles dim as they hitchhike along a road holding a “Nicaragua” sign, before finally crossing a river, luggage in hand.
“We got it wrong,” the sustainable clothing brand posted on its Facebook page in response to widespread criticism of its campaign, dubbed “Love is in the air.” The longtime subject of Washington sanctions, Cuba is undergoing its worst economic crisis in 30 years, leading many to leave in search of a better life, whether by land via Central America or by sea. Nicaragua only ended its visa requirement for Cubans late last year, finally eliminating the need for asylum seekers to begin their journey in South America, a trip that included a trek through the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama.