The comedian from Pinar del Río, Ivan Camejo, has made a journey from Miami to Havana to perform a stand-up routine in the show 'La risa por delante,' available on YouTube. His performance marks the ninth installment of a project spearheaded by Osvaldo Doimeadiós.
Camejo's show, titled "The Time Machine: First World Problems and the Cuban at a Resort," reaches its climax when he humorously asserts that Cubans face just two main issues: lunch and dinner. "You don't have a neuron for anything else. You wake up thinking about one and go to bed thinking about the other. It's a cycle," he quipped in the show released on YouTube on December 29, which has now garnered over 160,500 views.
Previously, according to the comedian, Cubans dealt with three problems (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), but breakfast has become obsolete. "We got rid of one. One less problem. One less thing to think about," added the former director of the Centro Promotor del Humor.
Traveling Through Time: Camejo's Perspective
In his routine, Ivan Camejo claims to be from the future and warns his audience that the future, a veiled reference to the first world, is not what we believe or have been told. "It's different," he said, "it resembles more our past," while clarifying that he visited Cuba to see his mother and "to clear his mind."
However, he humorously mentioned that he hasn't succeeded in seeing his mother yet. "I haven't seen her because we have no electricity," he added before diving into what he describes as a time machine. "You get on a Havana-Miami flight, and it's a journey through time. You get into a tube, strap in, and in half an hour, you're in the future."
Once in the future, you encounter things left behind, like a piece of codfish or dried beef; the first world's obsession with being slim, avoiding meat, being vegetarian, or cycling. "In the '90s, if you weren't thin, you were a counter-revolutionary," he remarked, referring to the collective weight loss during the Special Period's famine.
Contrasting Cultures and Perspectives
He also reflected on the passage of time, noting its slow pace in Cuba and rapid acceleration in Miami. Camejo humorously critiqued Western problems, including climate change, global warming, and stress, and depicted the behavior of a Cuban in a Punta Cana resort compared to that of a Norwegian or a Dane.
Regarding politics, there was little to mention. In a 25-minute show, towards the end, he joked that in the United States, it's peculiar because on election day, people still don't know who the president will be. There were discreet laughs among the audience, but the message was clear.
Doimeadiós's Comedy Project
Ivan Camejo is not the first Cuban comedian to collaborate with Osvaldo Doimeadiós in his comedy club, referred to as stand-up comedy. In mid-December 2024, Carlos Gonzalvo, popularly known as 'El Profesor Mentepollo,' took to the same stage in Havana.
Other performers who have graced the stage include Miguel Moreno, known as 'La Llave,' Doimeadiós himself, Rigoberto Ferrera, Jorge Bacallao, Capitan Diez, Visti Cárdenas, and Kike Quiñones.
Insights into Ivan Camejo's Performance
What is the central theme of Ivan Camejo's monologue?
Ivan Camejo's monologue humorously explores the idea that Cubans only have two main problems: lunch and dinner, using this as a metaphor to discuss broader societal issues.
How does Camejo describe his experience of traveling between Cuba and the United States?
Camejo likens his journey from Havana to Miami to a time machine, humorously suggesting it’s a trip into the future, where he encounters remnants of the past.
Who else has performed in Osvaldo Doimeadiós's comedy club?
Other performers include Carlos Gonzalvo ('El Profesor Mentepollo'), Miguel Moreno ('La Llave'), Rigoberto Ferrera, Jorge Bacallao, Capitan Diez, Visti Cárdenas, and Kike Quiñones.