Wellington, 27 april 2025-The afternoon was rainy and filled with anticipation when the Cuban ambassador, Luis Ernesto Morejón Rodríguez, met with Professor Robert E. Bartholomew at a café in Auckland. The academic, known for his work as a sociologist and expert on psychogenic illnesses, arrived carrying a copy of his latest book: Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria.
The exchange was cordial, yet charged with the intensity that only accompanies encounters where recent history weighs heavily on every word. Since August 2017, the media had reported incidents in which U.S. and Canadian diplomats in Havana described alarming physical symptoms: brain damage, dizziness, confusion. These reports fueled a narrative of attacks that escalated to the point of affecting diplomatic relations between nations.
Bartholomew, however, offers a radically different interpretation in his book. Based on an exhaustive historical and scientific analysis, he argues that the "Havana Syndrome" is actually a classic case of mass psychogenic illness. During the meeting, he explained that his research traces similar phenomena throughout history: from 18th-century panic over mysterious sounds to contemporary outbreaks of collective hysteria, where beliefs and social context trigger real symptoms in the absence of an external physical cause.
The professor described how, across eleven chapters, his book examines not only the events in Cuba but also dozens of historical examples of psychosomatic conditions, even exploring theories about the role of insects in such phenomena. He emphasized that, in his view, this case is not only a scientific matter but also an issue of justice for the truth and a stand against political manipulation.
The presence of a Cuban ambassador at this conversation was no trivial matter: Bartholomew acknowledged that his work also challenges stereotypes and international perceptions about Cuba, showing how, amid political tensions, suggestion can be as powerful as any weapon.
The meeting concluded with a firm handshake and a promise to continue the dialogue. In times when misinformation travels fast and official narratives quickly solidify, this conversation served as a reminder that the pursuit of truth — grounded in historical and scientific rigor — remains an act of courage.