Just days after the U.S. arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Alexandra Lavoie and Efrain Monsanto entered secretly into one of the world’s most repressive nations.
Disguised as tourists, they concealed their identities while filming in conditions where a single mistake could result in arrest or worse. The reality on the ground is far more dire than anticipated.
Cuban officials do not wish to show this truth to the world.
Cubans they met spoke at great personal risk—simply to tell the truth. Their faces were blurred for security reasons, but their words reveal a reality that the regime desperately tries to hide: power outages, food shortages, fear, and silence have defined life under dictatorship for decades.
State media will never let these voices be heard.
This investigation was conducted in secret, under dangerous conditions with extreme precautions—both for the journalists and the Cubans who placed their trust in them by sharing their stories.
Alexandra Lavoie | February 7, 2026
