African Sulture Retention in Cuba: Syncretism, Cabildos and Music

In the late 1400s and early 1500s, the first enslaved Africans arrived in Cuba. These Africans were forced to work in the mines of Cuba as replacements for the rapidly disappearing enslaved indigenous workers. The Spanish colonized Cuba and appointed Spanish governors to rule in Havana. Spain also brought slaves into Cuba for tobacco and sugar due to the lack of sugar for the Europeans because of Haiti’s Independence. The Afro-Cubans however, preserved their culture and fought back against the injustice of the Europeans. The African slaves were able to preserve their culture to a significant extent through religion, social groups, and Music. This closely relates to Raboteau’s argument that Africans preserved their culture and beliefs through syncretism. Music, culture, and traditions were preserved by syncretizing with European culture, music, and traditions. In Cuba, the cultures of communities in African descent practice various syncretic traditions.

The enslaved Africans in Cuba preserved their culture to a great extent through syncretism. For example, a Cuban daughter observed a religious artifact on her mother’s windowsill. “One day, after studying abroad in Havana, Cuba, I saw a familiar yet seemingly out-of-place object on my mother's windowsill. I was confused as to why my mother would have a statue of Santa Barbara in her room. One would more likely find this figure on a Catholic altar or maybe on an elaborate altar of a practicing santeria or santera, both of which my mother is not.” From this quote, there was a “seemingly out-of-place object” in her house. The out-of-place object represents religious syncretism as she relates the religious objects to the Catholic religion but also Santeria. In Cuba, Santeria emerged from the syncretism of native African culture and Christianity. There seems to be an object that is used religiously in two religions in Cuba, showing syncretism between the two religions. By syncretizing Christianity and Santeria, the Afro-Cubans were able to preserve their culture. Preserving their culture means resistance against slavery. In addition to this, a researcher in Cuba observed Christianity images syncretized with the Santeria religion. She quotes, “Images of Jesus Christ were juxtaposed with machetes and stuffed reptiles used in Santería ceremonies, a syncretic meeting of European Catholicism and the Yoruba and Ifá practices brought to the island by enslaved Africans. I learned quickly that most of Cuba’s population follows some sort of Santería practice.” The image of Jesus Christ represents a correlation between Catholicism and Santeria. Cuba practiced Santeria but with syncretized Catholic images of saints or Catholic religious objects as a way to preserve their culture. Because of this, a syncretism between Christianity and Santeria occurred. The Africans rebelled against forced Christianity and preserved their religion as a way to resist slavery.

The enslaved Africans in Cuba preserved their culture to a great extent through Cabildos. For example, ‘...two important reasons for the remarkable density and variety of African cultural elements in Cuba. …over one hundred different African ethnic groups in 19th century Cuba, and estimated that by the end of that century fourteen distinct 'nations' had preserved their identity in the mutual aid associations and social clubs known as cabildos' which later included their Cuban-born descendants.” The preservation of identity conveys that the enslaved Africans in Cuba found a way to free themselves and create black communities in which they can practice and preserve their traditions. With syncretism, we now have over one hundred different African ethnic groups. The Africans maintain their native culture with some adaption showing the great extent African culture was preserved. With the aid of social clubs and cabildos, Afro-Cubans were able to preserve their culture through syncretism of their culture. Another source explains the impact of the cabildos to this day. “Even after they were officially disbanded at the end of the 19th century, many were kept up on an informal basis, and were known popularly by their old African names. The cabildos not only preserved specific African practices, but their members also creatively reunited and resynthesized many regional African traditions, some, as in the case of the Yoruba, long separated by migration and war.” The Afro-Cubans have found a way to not only preserve their culture through cabildos, but they were able to keep it alive to this day. They were also able to bring back lost African traditions showing to a great extent how cabildos were a key aspect to preserving African culture in Cuba.

The enslaved Africans in Cuba preserved their culture to a great extent through Music. For example, “The diversity of African traditions transplanted to Cuba during its colonial period affected a complex process of cultural synthesis. The rumba is one dynamic cultural activity that unfolded within this process. The rumba phenomenon exhibits both continuities with older traditions and development of new ones.” This shows enslaved Africans preserving their native music through music within the rumba. The syncretism of African music through the rumba This allowed the Africans to retain their native music as well as develop new music. Another example explains African-influenced musical texts.“Texts for the guaguanco and yambu rumba types are in Spanish; the Columbia frequently includes interjections of African-derived words.” This quote shows that the music texts written in Cuba had African words combined together. This shows the preservation of the native African music to a great extent by the syncretism of African music in rumba. By preserving their music within the rumba, the Africans were able to preserve their culture and resist slavery.

African cultural preservation and syncretism in the Diaspora provides an example of African resistance to slavery. Africans put effort to ensure that their culture was not lost and secretly preserved their religions. They made groups to preserve their culture and music. This shows how resilient Africans are to captives and to the great extent Africans preserved their culture.