Culture of Cuba

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The Culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contrasting, factors and influences. Traditionally, Cuba is a meeting point of European, African, Amerindian and continental North American cultures. Since 1959, the Cuban Revolution has also greatly affected Cuban culture, down to the most basic levels of daily life. Much of Cuban culture, especially Cuban music, is instantly recognizable throughout the world.

1 Music
2 Entertainment
3 Sport
4 Cuisine
5 Religion
6 Language
7 Family
8 Women
9 Street impressions
10 Famous poetry, music, literature and art
11 See also
12 External links

[edit] Music

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Main article: Music of Cuba

Cuban music is the basis for many other Latin American musical styles, such as Salsa. The main musical form is Son.They also listen to rock.

The Caribbean island of Cuba has been influential in the development of multiple musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. The roots of most Cuban musical forms lie in the cabildos, a form of social club among African slaves brought to the island. Cabildos preserved African cultural tradition. At the same time, a religion called Santería was developing and had soon spread throughout Cuba, Haiti and other nearby islands. Santería influenced Cuba's music, as percussion is an important part of the religion. By the 20th century, elements of Santería music had appeared in popular and folk forms.

Cuban music has its principal roots in Spain and West Africa, but over time has been influenced by diverse genres from different countries. Most important among these are France, the United States, and Jamaica. On the other hand Cuban music has been immensely influential in other countries, contributing not only to the development of jazz and salsa, but also to Argentinian tango, Ghanaian high-life, West African Afrobeat, and Spanish "nuevo flamenco".

[edit] Entertainment

Being a very musical nation, Cubans love dirty dancing dancing. Many types of dance have originated in Cuba, for example the salsa dance called "casino". Great theatres stage quality plays, an excellent classic ballet, and a very live musical movement, from salsa to jazz and rock and a merge of salsa and jazz called "timba-jazz". Movie theatres show Latin American and American movies.

Cubans also enjoy watching Cuba's four television stations, Cubavision, Tele Rebelde, Canal Educativo (Educative Channel) 1 and 2 and also 3 (they were created as part of the new "Educational Revolution program, in which TV education is a main point and basis of the program).

[edit] Sport

See also: Baseball in Cuba

Fidel Castro's belief in the benefits of sports (he loves and has played baseball) has resulted in Cuba's relative international success (for a population of 11 million) in sporting events such as the Olympic games. Unlike in most of Latin America (but like many nations of the Caribbean and some of Central America), football (soccer) is not a major game in Cuba but is gaining popularity. Baseball is the most commonly played game. Introduced by American dockworkers in Havana in the 19th century, the game has played a role in Cuban independence from Spain. Banned in 1895 by the Spanish, secret games funded José Martí's revolt. Cuban peloteros rank highly internationally and some have migrated to Major League Baseball in the United States. The national team finished second in the first World Baseball Classic against the Japanese national team. Boxing is also rather popular.

Every year, Cuba holds the School Sports Games, a competition for school students. The best athletes from age 11 to 16 are invited to be tested for the Schools for Sports Initiation (Spanish acronym: EIDE). EIDE students attend regular classes, receive advanced coaching and take part in higher level competitions. The top graduates from this school enter one of several Schools of Higher Athletic Performance (Spanish acronym: ESPA).

[edit] Cuisine

See also: Cuban Cuisine, Rationing in Cuba

Food in Cuba is rationed. A ration book called a libreta is supposed to guarantee a range of products from shops, however, there are still massive shortages and even rations are not guaranteed to be delivered timely or at all. See Rationing in Cuba for an explanation on this system.

At a casa particular in Viñales, a pig is prepared for a feast. Beef and poultry are scarce. October 2002

The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 ended grain imports from that country, which were used to feed cattle and chickens. Since 1991 beef, chicken, milk and eggs became scarce.

A lack of fuel for agricultural machinery meant that crops had to be harvested manually (by people) , drastically decreasing Cuba's food production capabilities. These problems have improved a little in recent years, but shortages are still common. To supplement their rations, Cubans resort to non-rationed food stores (where prices are nevertheless several times those of the libreta), or to the black market.

Traditional Cuban food is, as most cultural aspects of this country, a syncretism of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines, with a small but noteworthy Chinese influence. Most popular foods are black beans, stews, and meats[1].

One example of traditional Cuban cuisine, or criollo as it is called, is moros y cristianos, "Moors and Christians", rice with black beans. Criollo uses many different seasonings, with some of the most common being onion and garlic tobacco. Cassava, rice, beans, eggs, tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, beef and pork are all common ingredients.

Coffee is of high quality and grown mainly for export, the common (non tourist) coffee drunk in Cuba is imported from Africa.

[edit] Religion

Christmas decorations on a house in Trinidad

Cuba's policy on religion has changed much since 1959. Originally in line with Karl Marx's statement "Religion is the opiate of the people", religious Cubans were persecuted and could be denied jobs or an education by the government.

In the 1970s, the relationship between the government and religious institutions (especially the Roman Catholic Church) began to improve. By 1976, the state granted Cuban citizens religious freedom, with some restrictions, and in 1992, the constitution was amended to allow total religious freedom. About 25% of Cubans today are Catholic. Some Catholic traditions were lost, but the church has imported the Mexican Christmas plays (pastorelas) trying to reconnect Cubans to Christianity.

Another large religion in Cuba is Santería. Santería is a blend of Catholicism and traditional Yoruba religions. When African slaves first arrived in Cuba during the 1500s, they were taught a few simple prayers and were baptised by the Spanish. The slaves combined this limited form of Catholicism with their traditional religions to create Santería, which survives to this day.

There is also a Jewish community in Cuba, primarily made of up descendents of Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisiton. In the early 20th century, they were joined by Ashkenazic Jews from Eastern Europe. Though the Jewish community is small, the religion is, like Catholicism, undergoing a revival.

[edit] Language

As with much of Latin America, Spanish is spoken in Cuba. After the 1959 Revolution, the term "compañero/compañera", meaning comrade, came to gradually replace the traditional "señor/señora" as the universal polite title of address for strangers.

Many words from Cuban Amerindian languages have entered common usage in both Spanish and English, such as the Taíno words canoa, tabaco and huracán.

When speaking to the elderly, or to strangers, Cubans speak more formally as a sign of respect. They shake hands upon greeting someone and farewelling them. Men often exchange friendly hugs (abrazos) and it is also common for both men and women to greet friends and family with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Informalities like addressing a stranger with 'mi corazón' (my heart), 'mi vida' (my life), or 'cariño' (dear) are not uncommon.

[edit] Family

Children are required to take part in social activities outside of the home, such as working in the fields during holidays to prevent them from becoming blind intellectuals.

All Cubans own the house they live in, but are not allowed to sell it because that could lead to real estate speculation. They are allowed to swap houses, but that requires finding the right other person who wants to swap, which is difficult and therefore doesn't happen too often.

[edit] Women

Women's rights has always been a concern of the socialist Castro government, and most women today work outside of the home.

Childcare facilities are common in Cuba, and this has helped to relieve some women of the stress of raising children and thus allowed them to enter the workforce.

In 1974, the Family Code was passed, giving men and women equal rights and responsibilities for housework, childrearing and education. However, despite official government policy, and as with much of Latin America, machismo is common amongst men, and stereotypes of women continue to exist, though they are becoming rare.

During the periodo especial after the fall of the USSR which resulted in poverty, the phenomenon of jineteras has appeared; illegal female prostitutes aiming for the foreign tourist and asking for pay in US dollars. The government had made an issue of giving proper jobs to the many prostitutes that, before 1959, complemented the Cuban touristic offer.

[edit] Street impressions

One of many Cuban Maquinas, aka Yank tanks

The most striking is the traffic, with a combination of 1940's and 1950's cars (named 'maquinas' or 'yank tanks'), Russian trucks and public transport in the form of buses named camellos after their camel-shape. Some vehicles are gifts from other countries, so one can see buses with a Dutch destination displayed at the front or ambulances with Welsh lettering.

As is to be expected in a Socialist country, there are hardly any commercials, but many slogans instead, which can vary from the name 'Fidel' scratched on a floor via a mural saying "Drinking is bad for your health" to a large sign saying "One person is worth a million times more than all the possessions of the richest man in the world". Strikingly, there are no depictions of Fidel Castro in the streets and only a few of Che Guevara. However, statues of José Martí, who is a Cuban hero of before and after the Revolution can be found on almost any square.

Uncommon for a developing country is that dogs are rarely treated as outcasts but often even pampered as pets.

[edit] Famous poetry, music, literature and art

See also: Literature in Cuba

Arenas, Reinaldo 1943-1990 openly gay poet, novelist and playwright. He was the winner of major prizes from UNEAC (The Union of Cuban Writers and Artists) in 1965 and 1966. While originally sympathetic to the 1959 revolution, his works demonstrate his growing criticism of the revolution’s repression of homosexuals and artists. His five volume work, the Pentagonia is subtitled a "secret history" of post-revolutionary Cuba. [2]
de Balboa y Troya de Quesada, Silvestre (1563-1649) 1608 Espejo de Paciencia. [3]. First known Cuban narrative poem deals with the killing of an attacking pirate by the people of Bayamo
Cabrera, Lydia. Anaforuana: ritual y símbolos de la iniciación en la sociedad secreta Abakuá. Madrid, Ediciones C.R., 1975. Her many works reflect the Black experience in Cuba [4].
Gómez de Avellaneda, Gertrudis (1814-1873) Her large body of excellent work includes the anti-slavery novel Dos mujeres (1842) and the play Baltasár (1858) [5]
Lecuona, Ernesto (1895-1962) First major composition, Malaguena, Roxy Theatre in New York 1927. [6], [7].
Menocal, Armando (1863-1941) Cuban painter his works, often displayed in Cuban public buildings, illustrate scenes of the Cuban War of Independence include La Muerte de Maceo (the death of Antonio Maceo) and have been subject to ownership dispute [8] [9] [10] [11]
Napoles Fajardo, Juan Cristobal (born 1829; believed killed by Spanish authorities in 1862) Selected work in Cucalambe (Decimas Cubanas): Seleccion De Rumores Del Hormigo. Ediciones Universal. 1999 ISBN 0-89729-878-0 An example of Siboneyista poetry, a 19th Century resistance movement which expressed its, then illegal, wish to be free of Spain couched as Siboney, one of the Neo-Taíno nations poetry and narrations.
Simons, Moisés 1928 El Manisero (the Peanut Vendor) An extremely popular song with complex poly-rhythms. The author was a Jewish immigrant to Cuba. In the Cuban vernacular to "cantar el manisero" to sing this song is to die. The Peanut Vendor inspired classically trained Joseph Norman Henderson, author of Cuban Pete, to change his name to Jose Norman [12] and dedicate his work to music from the island [13] [14] [15] [16]
Valdes, Zoe 1999 I Gave You All I Had. Arcade Publishing; 1st English-language edition. ISBN 1-55970-477-2 Book is part of a second wave of literature written by exiles who escaped Cuba in the latter part of the Castro years
Valdéz, Gabriel de la Concepción (Plácido) 1809-1844 (executed) Major, most well known poem and last poem Plegaria a Dios. [17], [18] His poetry, was often considered subversive and anti-slavery by the Spanish authorities
Villaverde, Cirilo 1882 (New translation 2005 by Sibylle Fischer and Helen Lane) Cecilia Valdes or El Angel Hill. Oxford University Press, USA ISBN 0-19-514395-7 Deals with sexual mores and the traditions of mistresses during the Spanish colonial period, with many historic details, including the execution of Narciso Lopez. The author was first condemned to death for conspiring for independence against Spain [19]; after his sentence was commuted to ten years he escaped [20].