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7/23/1998 - AfroCuba by Paige Evans

AfroCuba CUBA Havana July ByPaigeEvans ANOVERVIEW Lastweek IattendedtheInternationalYorubaConference thethirdtobe Havana Prior Cuba revolutionary government allowCubansto openly practice religion In recent years however theYoruba Association whichpresentedthe conference hasbecomeincreasinglyrecog nizedboth withinCubaand around world Slaves brought Caribbean West Africa between centuries carried systems animistic beliefs agedto concealfrom Catholic slaveownersbehindaCatholic facade Theprin cipalsyncretic religion thatevolvedinCubafrom acombination ofYorubaand Catholic beliefs called Santeria Regla Ocha Originally practiced exclu sivelybypoorblacks Santeriahasgainedpopularityandstatureovertheyears andbecome essential ofCuba national identityand culture In Santeria slaves synchronized names images their Catholic saints their Yoruba ishas Of roughly orishas theYoruba pantheon about survived transatlantic voyage Obatala fatherand creator orisha associatedwith VirginMary Chango virile master thunder associated Santa Barbara Yemaya dessofmotherhoodandthesea isassociatedwiththepatronsaintofHavana OurLadyofRegla Santeria sorishasrepresentprimordialnaturalforcesand archetypalhumanpersonalities unlike Catholic saints theyhavehumanfrail tiesandcharacteristics Orishas actaspersonalguardiansto Santeria sinitiates santeros Santeria based legends passed orally Ancestral spirits worshipped concepts original finaljudgmentdo exist Rites presidedoverby amalepriest babaloa Babaloas frequentlyconsultedbybothsanterosandnon believers foradvice sickness andto grant protection Evidently Cubanbabaloas havebeen charging higher higher prices perform rites bothbecaus ritual materials increasingly costlyandhardto inCuba andinorder tomakemoney In recent years increasingnumbers tourists begun visit babaloas Santeria ceremonies encouraged commercializationandmisuse ofthe religion At InternationalYoruba Conference there discus about combat abuses religion The tenants Santeria haveheretoforebeentransmitted orally allowingforagooddealofmiscom municationandmisunderstandingamong practitioners The conference Orishas which forces ofnature endeavors ofhumanity emissaries ofOlodumere almighty Aplaywright awriteroffilmscriptsandan aficionadoofCaribbeanmu PaigeEvans isspendingtwoyears inCuba whichshedescribesasa hotbed Caribbean performing Before Fidel Castro power years Cuban culture eclipsed foreign commercial culture particularly United States Castro revolutionarygovernment revalued Cuba sAfrican culture encourage sense national pride identity The Commu nistgovernmentopenedmuseums created artschools establishedana tional balletcompanyandfilm industry formedtheatergroups supported Afro Cuban folklore ensembles guaranteed musicians salary Recently though withthe oftheSovietblocandthetightU S bargo thegovernmenthashadtocutbackonfundingforthearts During periodo especial state funded festivals suspended individual artists receiv curtailed stipends In Castro began institute economic reforms allowing Cubans U S dollars These reforms bolstered Cuban economy giving socialist system chance survival But emergence class differences Cubans access dollars employees tourist industry multinational companies people relatives living overseas black marketeers prostitutes petty criminals access goods services denied other Cubans intend investigatetherepercussionsofthesereformsonCubanperforming I mcurioustosee forexample performing become consumer oriented elitist highly politicized grassroots genres emerged speakersandparticipantscalledforamoreunifiedap repairs Itsownerisadoctorwho whileonvacation proachtothereligion withsanterosandacademicswork supplementinghismonthlyincomeof400pesos ingtogethertotranscribeandsystematicallyregulatethe U S byescortingforeignersaroundthecity Cu beliefsandpracticesthatnowvarywidelybothna banswithaccesstodollars thosewhoworkinthe tionallyandinternationally touristindustry havefamiliesintheU S sendingthem money prostitutes multinational CONFERENCEOPENINGDAY panies arethenewprivilegedclasshere bartenders chambermaids tourist hotels substantially On first Conference I catch dollar rofessionals LaHabanaVieja wheretheconferenceistakingplace inpesos TaxiParticular aprivately ownedcarusedille gally escort foreigners around Before I To supplement insufficient monthly incomes iatothecar IbargainwithitsdriveroverapriceinU S meagerfoodrations Cubansfindwaystoacquiredol dollars Untilrecently itwasillegalforCubanstohave larsandbuyproductsatreducedprices Manythings U S dollars Now U S dollars powerful coffee medicine tampons pesos entire andcovetedcurrencyinCuba theycanbuyalmostany computersbrokendownintoparts canbeboughtfar thinghere Roughlysevendifferentkindsoftaxisare morecheaply porlacalle orontheblackmarket My availableinHavana ranginginpricefromtheofficial drivertellsmethattoavoidtheprohibitivecostofgaso governmentaltaxis whichhavedollarmetersandare aboutfourdollarspergallon manyCubans costly bicycle rickshaws Peso buyblack market gasoline costly charge action official diesel meters register pesos foreigners mustbar gainforapriceinU S dollars Therearealso Taxi AswedrivealongtheMalecon Havana sfamedsea Collectivos orCollectiveCabs inLaHabana sidestrip wepassabillboardproclaiming PotlaVida Vieja bicyclerickshaws NoalBloqueo ForLife NototheEmbargo Like everyCubanIhavespokenwith mydriverdecriesthe LikemanyofthecarshereinHavana mytaxithis U S TradeEmbargo arguingthatCubaneedsitslarge morning American powerful neighbor trading partner order vivedovertheyearswithlayersofpaintandmakeshift survive HesaysthepolicyisstranglingCuba BPE economy killing peoplebut government Hehearkensbackto Antes orbefore Revolution whengaswascheapandplentiful andCuba linda deAmerica America sbeautifuldaugh He tellsmehewatches Miamiprogramson televi WhenIexpress surprise explains thathe clandestine antenna remarking EverythinginCubais outside The driver interested hearmy plans Havana knows someone avail apartment Independentapartments difficultto Taxi things however available dollars Though usually involve lower rates rentals attractive Cuban homeowners because promise reliable influx dollars Cubans renting oftheirhomesto foreignersarechargedprohibitivetaxes 250monthly rented whether renters throughout month Mydriver writes hisname numberonaslipofpaperandurgesmeto callhim IfI endup renting apartment probably receive asacommissionafractionofmymonthlyrent apartment owner already collected hefty stack ofnames andnumbersinmyfirst Taxi Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs Because building normally houses Yoruba A ssociation undergoing renovation Yoruba Conference Capitolio Capitol Building My driver across street nottobespottedbythepoliceorgovernment officials TheCapitolio whichhousedtheCubanSenateinthedays U S backed dictators Gerardo Machado Fulgencio Batista replica U S Capitol build though Capitolio richer detail slightly smaller Like historic buildings heavily touristed Habana Vieja Capitolio beauti fully restored WhenIpaidthe relativelyexpensive foreigners enrollintheYorubaConference IwasassuredIwould haveanEnglish languageinterpreter Iarriveonthefirst however discover translator notbeen arranged AMexicanacquaintancewho isasantera lived Cuba years finds inter preter young Cuban woman named Marina studied English universityandnowworks occasion freelance translator Marina serving terpreter Californiawomanwhois attendingthe conferencewith small delegation U S santeros This woman wears layers ofcolored Santeriabeadswrappedaround wrists introduces herself hersanteraname Yeye Ife Later Ilookathernametag andfindthatherbirthnameisAnnaJones The conference opens announcement schedulingchanges Practicallyeveryspeakerandtopic listed printed schedules handed registra since changed As President Yoruba Association greets Marina sitting between Yeye Ifeand whispers occasional translations As interpreter little experience scant knowledge Santeria interpretation isrough haltingandgeneral Icanfollowthelesstech nical Spanish myself Marina translations offer soundenoughintroduction formypurposes ButYeye Ife speaks Spanish knows about thereligionthaneitherMarinaor I isclearlyfrustrated bybothMarina sandm yignorance She rankled statements throughout conference claiming seXist ageist paternalistic MarinastrugglestonavigatemyandYeye Ife differ needs personalities perspectives oneofhereyeshasturnedadeepredfrom stress TWOCEREMONIES InthefinaldaysoftheYorubaConference Iattend twoSanteriaceremonies Thefirst Comida ormeal Ochun goddess rivers Though offeringissupposedtobeopenonlyto santeros thePresi BPE El Capitolio Yoruba Association decides shortly before ceremony initiates attend Theofferingtakes place theYorubaAssociation headquarters whichiscurrentlyundergoingrenovation The building walls stripped paint plaster lightemanatesfrom afewbarebulbs suffused The thick smoke though I cannot Shortly before ceremonybegins womanwalks through crowd piece chalk asking person orisha When I reply Idonot shemarksmyforeheadwith awhite X evidently protect believers ishas thatmight Astheceremonybegins babaloas gatherina nerofthebuilding smainroom The babaloaswearskull shiny fabrics colors otherwise theyarecasuallydressed Thecrowdisinstructedtoturn babaloas perform sacred allowed watch Wewomenare cover heads Those ofuswho lackawhitehator clothplaceonehandon heads again means protection The crowd The Yoruba Cultural Association ofCuba gravitates toward babaloas chanting I piece white paper Marina I scrap heads A babaloa rooster person orshe spinsslowlyaround Later different babaloa forms similar pigeon Evidently blessing The babaloas other santeros joiningroomwherethere candlelit figurerepresent ingElegba gatekeeper orisha andanotherrepresent Ochun The initiates asked Shortlyafterwards twodecapitatedroostersandahead pigeon carried The animals bloodhasbeen offered ameal forOchun The following afternoon I attend tambor drummingceremonyforOchun Athrone toOchunhas setupin theYorubaAssociation foyer Apiece cloth painted large colorful depiction ofOchun beautiful mocha skinned young woman ample roundedbreasts goldjewelryanda dress ofblue andyellow Ochun scolor isstrungacrossthewall Swaths yellow material spread across floor offerings Ochun piled several large cakeswithpink white icing potterybowlsheaped withmeringues platesoftaffyandothercandiedsweets massive baskets stocked fruit Apparently Ochun apenchant sweets Various santeros dressed white tambor Some recent initiates required white prescribed period following their tiation othersare followers ofthe orisha Obatala whose color white Because entirely white clothing scarce andcostlyinCuba manypeople sotherwisewhite shirts stamped writing smallpatches ofcolon Santeria ceremonies always involve music dance which invoke orishas earth possess bodies worshipers In ishas amongsttheirfollowers givingthembless guidance Drums tambors ticularly important religious rites lievedtobespiritualentitiesofgreatpower whichspeak language their Santeria ceremonies involve rhythmically complex musically influentialdrummingin world Santeria rhythmic traditions integrated Cuban popular musicand played crucial awide range internationalmusics The sacred drums always played three exclusively ceremonial rituals Only designated types build these drums their construction involves ceremo chants special offerings Before playing consecrateddrumsinaceremonadrummer always initiated specific rites which clude drinkingtheblood ofcertain animals Batadrums heads horizontally across drummer played hands The largestofthethreedrums MotherDrum isplayed bythemasterdrummer whositsinthemiddleanddic tates rhythms other Varied rhythms invoke individual orishas Like things Cuba theYoruba Association tambor ceremony begins Elegba gatekeeper orisha isthe firsttobehonored becauseheisthebegin ningandendofeverything allYorubaceremoniesstart finish Elegba The three masterful drummers manage somehow among themselves smoke cigarette while skillfully playing complexrhythms Elegba The singer reedymandressed white twangy voice possessed piercing beginsa response All Santeriaceremonies havealead singerwho directsthecourse ofeventsby ending songs introducing appro priate These songs praise specific orishas refer Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs myths about orishas actually insult individual ishas Insultingsongs areusedwhenanorisha refuses descend attempt antagonize appearing After songs someonehands singer wooden filled water He places floorbeforetheMotherDrum andworshipers lineup totouchtheirforeheadswithwater Afterdoingso ofthemhand singer money usually notes another offering Ochun Several people prostrate themselves before Mother Drum touchingtheirforeheadsto itssacredwood An ceremony blind babaloa leads rasping tones youngmanwithapotentvoicethentakesoverandleads another Aduelofvoices resultsbetweentheyoungupstart andthe originallead singer whofinally storms protest Eventually drummers himback andheresumes position singer Santeria specific dances orisha carefully choreographed represent sacred messages orisha Each dance calls orisha comedownandmanifesthim herselfbytakingpos session worshiper Yeye Ife teaches Yoruba dance California clearly prides herself dancingprowess takesaplace frontandcenter ofthe dancers She remains there throughout ceremony beaming triumphantly pointedly indifferent audience During tambor Ochun comes sessestwo people The second trance entered intoby manwhospeaksfrequentlyandatgreatlengththrough conference lasts roughly hours As manenters trance singer sings loudly anddirectly athim encouragingOchuntotakehimover The drumming builds urgency speed volume The crowd encircles manbeing possessed eventu forming columns either fromwhichpeople singand dance watcht heman The partly closed throughout trance aggressively hands across scalp anddownhis The music hourmost tambors finish The cakesandothersweetsfrom Ochun sthrone arethen carriedintoanadjoiningroomand dividedup fruit baskets brought center immediately descended uponby hungry crowd The President oftheYorubaAssociation struggles fruit lesslytomaintainorderaspeoplegrabmangoes grapes bananasandpineapplesfromthe largestbasket Nearb awomancalls The Line The Line peopleswarm SanteriaplaysanextremelyimportantroleinCuba culture national identity Its ceremonies volve complex percussion whose rhythms tones highly influential Cuba throughout world music Last International Yoruba Conference provided helpful introduction complicated intriguing religion which I forward studying further order better under stand Cuba performing BPE babaloa drums black market Capito Chango dollareconomy drumming Elegba International Yoruba ConferenCe M Mother Drum O Obatala Ochun orishas Our Lady Regla R Regla Ocha rickshaws Santeria tambor Taxi Collectivos Taxi Particula U S Trade Embargo Y Yemaya oruba Institute ofCurrentWorldAffairs