Afro-Cuban Religions & Culture
Before Cuba lifted its state of atheism, it was difficult to determine the religious demographic of the country, simply because all religions were banned, all involvement being frowned upon and seen as counterproductive to the Revolution. It wasn’t until 2002 when Castro deemed the country as secular instead of atheistic, that official records of which religions were most commonly practiced were kept. Even though most official sources will say that the religion with the largest following in Cuba is Roman Catholicism or some form of Christianity, most of the citizens that I encountered during my intensive study in Cuba would tell you that it is actually Santeria, also known as La Regla de Ochá, that is practiced by most of Cuba’s beautiful inhabitants. The influence of this Afro-Cuban religion can be witnessed in all parts of Cuban culture, from music, dance s and even fashion. Despite the proliferation of several negative stereotypes in popular Western culture that reduce this religious belief system to that of a pagan cult, Santeria has grown beyond Cuba, making its way to Puerto Rico, other Latin American countries, the United States and even Spain. Exploring this expression of spirituality that was foreign to me, was a captivating experience. In this article, I will share my discovery of the many characteristics that make this religion central to the culture and spirit of Cuba.
In order for one to truly understand the connection between Cuban culture and Santeria it is necessary to dig up its roots and uncover how it arrived in the “New World”. During the transatlantic slave trade, the people of West Africa who were captured and forced to make the long and hard voyage to the Americas took with them their West African belief systems and Yoruba spirits called "the Orichas". These beliefs became infused with Catholicism which was practiced by their Spanish slave owners. Thus, Santeria is the consequential merging of two different cultures and is often described as a “religion … from West Africa … fused with Catholic iconography”. (Mena)
A major misconception has to do with the nature of god in Santeria, which is often seen as a polytheistic religion. In my research, I discovered that there is one supreme and all knowing God who is the creator of the universe called Oludumare or Olorun. he is described as a “remote god who is not able to respond to human needs of believers… he takes very little active interest in the affairs of this world. For this reason little adulation is rendered him.” (Sandoval) A devoted follower who I had the pleasure of speaking with described this God as one who was too busy to have the time to pay attention to each one of the small spheres of life. It is for these reasons that he divided his “ache” or spiritual power amongst his children, the orishas, so that they could serve alongside the ancestors as guardian angels for the people on the Earth he had created.
The Significance of Santeria in Cuba
By: Yasmin Jones
The slaves matched the images and stories that they had of the orishas and combined them with the images of catholic saints, hence the name Santeria which in direct translation means “worship of the saints”. Under the guise of catholicism, it is difficult to determine the actual number of practicing members. At a first glance, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between depictions of saints in any Catholic home around the world and the ones used by the santeros/as of Cuba. Many scholars say that this is a result of the slaves needing to hide their ancestral beliefs with something that wouldn’t threaten their Spanish masters. Catholicism was used as a tool to protect the orishas and the African faith. Traces of this can be seen in the way that all people initiated into Santeria undergo baptism in the Catholic Church. Another example is the depiction of saints, who often have black feet and stones to signify the presence of an orisha. This is kept a secret from the ordinary eye, and only visible if one lifts the skirt or the outer garment of the saint. In "The Focus On Santeria", Bascom describes the catholic images as empty ornaments and feels that the practicers of this religion are outwardly catholic but inwardly reject the catholic faith. (Bascom) With the number of baptisms almost 20 times more than the number of people who actually attend catholic services, this can be easily argued.
Though the roots of Santeria have existed just as long, if not longer, than Christianity and other more popular religions, many people are not properly informed about Santeria. In addition to the need for secrecy during slavery, Europeans, and later on, Americans insisted on trivializing and degrading African customs in order to maintain control and power. As a result, many misconceptions and stereotypes prevail, leading people to believe that Santeria is a barbaric and satanic cult, or trivialize it as folklore, which is what often happens to people, languages and customs originating in Africa.
Founder of Santeria in Cuba
Out of all popular orichas, Oshun, in my opinion is the one central to Cuban religion and culture. She is the goddess of rivers, love, femininity and purification, and the one who has been attached to the patron saint of Cuba, the Virgen del Caridad del Cobre or the Virgin of Charity of Cobre. Of the ten days I spent in Cuba it was rare to encounter any home or establishment that didn’t have some type of rendition or shrine for this powerful goddess. Characterized as feminine, cheerful and happy, she is also perceived as very sensual and beautiful. During my trip, I couldn’t help but recognize the similarities between her and Cuba itself. Oshun is also important in Africa, The US and other parts of the Caribbean, but especially in Cuba where her trademark of shimmering yellows and golds can be found almost anywhere.
One of the other aspects that make La Regla de Ocha such an important part of Cuban culture is rumba, which is a style of music and dance associated with the working classes of Cuba, mostly Afro Cuban and poor. It is is one of the country’s most popular forms of entertainment. Though not all of the music is religious, much of the percussion style originates from the playing of the sacred bata, a drum that is played during religious ceremonies to communicate with the orishas. (Pareles) During Sabado de La Rumba, a weekly performance by the National Folkloric Dance Troupe in havana, one performer began his performance by using herbs and water to give what appeared to be a blessing to both the other performers and the audience. At the next Rumba performance in Callejon de Hamel, one performer during the rumba became possessed as she embodied the movements of her orisha. Her eyes rolled back and her body seemed to not be hers as she danced and moved to the beat of the drums. We were not in a ceremony but in a gathering similar to a block party or festival and, still, you could see the presence of Santeria. In these moments, there was no separation between celebration and worship and it is these moments that make Santeria so important.
These orishas though consulted, prayed to and some would go as far as to say worshipped, are not gods, rather, they are emissaries with human characteristsics and qualities whose purpose is to stand as intermediaries between God and humans. Because of their falible nature, they are easy to identify with and call upon for help. In the Yoruba customs there are hundreds of orishas, some differing from tribe to tribe and others are more universal. However, the orishas most commonly seen in Cuba are Obatala, Ellegua, Chango, Ogun, Orunla, Oya, Yemaya and Oshun.
Santeria is a faith that on most levels accepts everyone regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or class. Similar to the sentiment of the Revolution, it makes everyone equal in ways that even Castro could not immediately achieve. This aspect is what makes this religion so universal and widely embraced throughout Cuba. From initiates who walk the streets dressed head to toe in white, to the herbs and animal remains you may see on the corner of a street or in a gutter, this faith is not just a religion but it is part of the Cuban atmosphere. It is this daily expressions and forms of worship that, I believe, make Santeria central to Cuban culture.
Works Cited
Bascom, William R. The Focus of Cuban Santeria. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 6.1 (1950): 64-68. Web.
Dr. E. Santeria Church of the Orishas. Santeria Church of the Orishas. N.p., 21 July 2012. Web. 07 June 2016.
Mena, Andres I. Perez Y. Cuban Santeria, Haitian Vodun, Puerto Rican Spiritualism: A Multiculturalist Inquiry into Syncretism. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 37.1 (1998): 15. Web.
Pareles, Jon. Rumba, the Heartbeat of Cuban Music. The New York Times. The New York Times, 2000. Web. 07 June 2016.
Sandoval, Mercedes C. Santeria as a Mental Health Care System: An Historical Overview. Social Science & Medicine. Part B: Medical Anthropology 13.2 (1979): 137-51. Web.