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CULTURE - A RICH DIVERSITY
The Cuban Revolution has had a profound effect on culture, its main
achievement being the integration of popular expression into daily life,
compared with the pre-Revolutionary climate in which art was either the
preserve of an elite or, in its popular forms, had to fight for acceptance
It is difficult to visit Cuba and fail to notice the importance of music
and dance to the people; its vibrant rhythms come from combining African
and Spanish elements imported over the centuries and this explains the huge
presence of the drum and guitar. Cuba's own particular brand of music is
Salsa - an integral part of the Cuban lifestyle. The roots of modern salsa
lie in Cuban son, a heavily percussive musical style with bass, bongos,
trumpets and guitar. Cuba also created the conga, the mambo, the rumba and
its own unique style of jazz.
Literature is also a rich resource. With such a high literacy rate on the
island, the works of indigenous and foreign writers are in high demand.
Cuba's most famous writers are José Marti - a famous patriot of the 19th
century, Cirilo Villaverde, also of the 19th century, who wrote about the
divisions of society, and Nicolas Guillen who, due to his denouncement of
the previous political and economic system, was made 'National Poet' after
the revolution. The government has tried to ensure that books are
accessible and affordable, but with resources and supplies often difficult
to obtain, shortfalls are inevitable.
Cuban people, like us here in Europe, love to watch television. Unlike us,
however, they are not subjected to any advertisement breaks. In massive
numbers they tune-in to watch home-produced soap operas and films - a
result of the very conscious effort made to build up the Cuban film
industry in the 1960's. The work of Cuban directors such as Tomas Gutierrez
Alea (Death of a Bureaucrat, Strawberry and Chocolate) is internationally
renowned. The government has opened a Latin American film school in Havana,
and each year the Havana film festival takes place in the capital.
RELIGION
Cuba is officially a secular state, though faiths based on beliefs brought
by African slaves are widespread, especially Santeria which has a pantheon
of over 400 gods called orishas, many of which are identified with specific
catholic saints. It is common to find catholics who have household shrines
to the orishas and Santeria followers who include catholic saints in their
worship. Santeria priests known as babalawos are gateways to the gods and
are consulted regularly. They interpret the commands of specific orishas
and pass on sacred teachings to believers. Catholicism is the main
Christian faith but Protestant churches, especially Presbyterians, are also
important. The Catholic Church claims 50% of Cubans are practising
catholics, but there are no reliable figures. In revolutionary Cuba, the
Catholic Church was seen as a vestige of Spanish colonialism and an ally of
the wealthy, right-wing elite.