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Cuban culture is a complex mixture of factors and
influences coming from various places of the planet.
Cuba, the meeting point of different cultures namely
European, African, Amerindian and North American has
however suffered a lot with the revolution of 1959.
Limited to its coasts, confined within its borders,
with censorship and exodus of its people to brighter
futures and fleeing repression Cubans did not
evolved at the same pace as others cultures within
the region.
African slaves participated in the formation of
Cuban culture and Cuban identity. Coming form the
different parts of Africa the Congo, Bantu, Yoruba,
Mandigas and Carabalis, the various ethnic groups
gave birth to a new culture first among the African
communities themselves. In the second run, the slave
community of Cuba associated their culture to that
of their masters’ culture with as consequence
bringing further development in the Cuban culture
for the slave owners coming from different regions
of Spain transported in their luggage their culture
too. The first influx was from Castile and
afterwards, the Spanish immigrants came from the
provinces of Galicia, Catalonia and the Canary
Islands.
This blending of the African traditional cultures
together with the Spanish ones shaped before the
abolition of the slavery itself the lives that made
and defined the norms, folkways beliefs and cultural
traditions of today’s Cuba. Other immigrants coming
from China, the Haitians who fled the Dominican
revolution in the year 1944 and Russian arrival also
contributed to the elaboration of now Cuban culture.
The Chinese brought their cuisine and the Chinese
instrument the ‘cornetin chino’ or Chinese cornet, a
Chinese wind instrument.
Dance and music plays an important role in the Cuban
culture. It is part of their daily life. Their music
with the interplay between the African and European
as well Amerindian music have influenced music all
round the world with the conga, clave, batá drums,
flute and violin. All types of music are popular in
Cuba namely the classical, the campesina musica and
the rhumba. Deeply rooted in the Cabildos, the Cuban
music, the Son an Afro Cuban music with poetic
Spanish lyric accompanied with the guitar was the
starting steps of the Cuba music; the rumba (or the
Americanised term rhumba), Mambo known and danced in
the whole world, also uses the African rhythm,
Cha-cha cha, same as Mambo but with a much slower
rhythm Bolero, Mozambique, Pilon, Dengue a caballo
and Mosanch, is danced sang and played
simultaneously.
The Cuban government policy under the vigilant eye
of the Cuban communist party promotes a culture that
originates in popular traditions. Many cultural
institutions work actively for the preservation and
promotion of Cuban culture in diverse fields as art,
theatre, sculpture, literature, films, dance and
music while at the same time trying to involve all
Cuban nationals in their endeavor. |
