Cuba, long defined by the Marxist-Leninist and Communist legacy of Fidel Castro’s iron-fisted rule and ideals, remains one of the poorest countries in Latin America. With the average monthly wage stuck at around $16.50, everyday life on the island is marked by struggle, scarcity, and sacrifice. But not for everyone, not for the Castro who ‘Fidels’ while Havana burns.
Among those untouched by Cuba’s deepening crisis is Sandro Castro, Fidel Castro’s grandson, whose life today is a stark contrast to the austerity preached by his grandfather.
At 33, Sandro is a social media figure with over 121,000 Instagram followers. His content doesn’t echo political ideology or social concerns; it’s a glossy display of wealth, status, and inherited privilege.
In one post, he’s on a yacht sipping Cristal beer. In another, he races through Havana in a luxury Mercedes-Benz. His nightlife venue, EFE Bar, caters to Cuba’s wealthy and well-connected, charging 1,000 Cuban Peso (approximately $42 or Rs 3,600) at the door and demanding a minimum spend of 15,000 CUP (approximately $625 or Rs 54,000) at its tables – figures wildly out of reach for most Cubans.
He has posted reels with a soundtrack by Bad Bunny, mocking the long power cuts that have plagued the capital city Havana. In a cheeky jab, he even compared himself to the state electricity company, suggesting he too could hand out blackouts.
At his countryside getaway, El Patrn, where nights can cost $100, he lounges and unwinds, while back in the city, fuel, medicine, and food are in short supply.
Born to Fidel’s son Alexis Castro, Sandro was raised in Punto Cero, a tightly guarded compound that shielded him from the shortages and stress endured by average Cubans. His life was always different.
Today, that difference plays out online: he wears designer clothes, smokes expensive cigars, and plays reggaeton music from a seat of comfort that symbolises a family that never truly gave up control.
Despite the visibility of his wealth, Sandro’s net worth remains a mystery. Analysts believe he profits from his bars – EFE and Fantaxy, as well as from his influencer presence and possibly from access to old family wealth.
Unlike Fidel, who was once estimated by Forbes to be worth hundreds of millions, Sandro’s financials are well hidden.
He has occasionally drawn criticism from within the establishment, but largely, there has been no formal censure.
When a video of him flaunting a Mercedes went viral in 2021 during a period of severe shortages, he tried to walk it back, but the damage was done.
His comments about the “toys” he owned didn’t sit well with people struggling to find bread and rice.
Meanwhile, Cuba continues to decline. Its GDP shrank again in 2024, part of a five-year slide that has erased nearly a tenth of the economy.
The cost of living is on the rise as incomes stagnate. People endure endless blackouts, empty shelves, and increasing hopelessness. And as all this unfolds, Sandro continues to post cocktails, luxury dinners, and Cristal giveaways.
Sandro, for many Cubans, represents the hypocrisy of a revolution that demanded sacrifice from its people while shielding its own inner circle. His lifestyle, so at odds with the Cuba’s reality, has made him a symbol of the very inequality the revolution once promised to abolish.
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