AFRICA AND CUBA: A LOVE AFFAIR FOR THE AGES
By: African Impact Hub
Tags: African Diaspora, Culture, International Affairs, Africa, Cuba

By Denisse Hernandez

Fidel Castro decorated Thomas Sankara with the medal of the order of José Martì in September 1984. Credit: AfricaNews.com

Cuba, despite being a small player in international affairs, continues to be relevant to discussions around Latin America and embodies the persistence of Communism notwithstanding being just 90 miles from one of the leading capitalist powers. One cannot understand Cuba without recognising the vital role that Africa played in its history.

“Aché pa’ ti” is a typical greeting among Cubans both on the island and among those in exile abroad. It is a wish for good fortune and the power to make things happen originating from the West African Yoruba culture. This statement demonstrates in the most basic manner — language — Africa and the African diaspora’s expansive role in the contemporary analysis of the “Pearl of the Antilles.”1

The African continent and Cuba share a relationship that accounts for the origin of Cuba’s contemporary population and traditions, that intensified in the time following the Cuban revolution and persists even today. Though it may have begun with the trans-Atlantic slave trade initiated by the European conquistadors, it has had long lasting effects on its socio-cultural sphere.

One of its most obvious and immediate effects has been on its demographic: at the end of the 20th century, Afro-Cubans made up an estimated 40% of the population, while 30% was white, and 30% was Asian. These numbers do not account for any mixed-race communities referred to on the island as mulattos. Unfortunately, current data and its representation of racial demographics is unreliable 2. However, there is evidence that suggests that Afro — Cubans and mulattos make up much of the modern population. This evidence hinges on the social dynamics of races dating back to colonisation, and their lasting effects on the culture and image of the island.

Slavery was officially abolished in 1886, but Cuban society implemented segregationist policies that disenfranchised Afro-Cubans with significantly less access to well-paying jobs and education opportunities as compared to their white counterparts. During the revolution of the 1950s and Fidel Castro’s ascension to power, many of the white elites fled the island. Those who remained were of primarily African or mixed descent. Hence post-revolution demographics include a majority black and mulatto population. Even with Fidel Castro formally outlawing discrimination, it persisted.

Those Afro-Cubans who were not able to find a way into the fields of medicine and biotechnology — the majority — ended up investing their skills in two industries: sports and arts. Next to Cuba’s health care professionals, its athletes and its artists have paved the way for Cuban soft power. This is especially true in baseball. Cuba has participated in many world events for baseball, often taking home first place prizes. In the arts, Cuban music and dance have become global sensation; they are appreciated in every corner of the globe through international tours and contemporary streaming. Salsa timba is particularly enjoyed in major cities worldwide.

Patria y Vida — Yotuel , @Gente De Zona , @Descemer Bueno , Maykel Osorbo , El Funky.

The most prevalent image of Cuba is of afro-Cubans, which often adds to the perceived ‘exoticism’ of Cuba and its people and defines Cuba’s national cultural profile. Best highlighted through the San Isidro movement, originally composed of Cuban artists resisting censorship. It has since evolved into a more widespread movement addressing human rights issues in Cuba, grounded in the Africanity of its members (watch Patria y Vida).

The effect of the African diaspora on Cuban culture is equally obvious — particularly through the religion and music of its people. In the process of transculturation, Cubans have combined Roman Catholic practices and beliefs with those of diverse cultures and religions from Africa (I.e., Arara 3, Abakua 4, Congo etc.). The most well-known of the syncretic religions in Cuba came from the Yoruba culture of Nigeria, taking the name Santeria. Although all the syncretic religions are grouped under the umbrella of Roman Catholic in original censuses, some estimates have shown that as much as 80% of the island’s population consults with practitioners of these religions.

A Santería woman with Tarot cards and cigar in Havana. Credit: Getty Images

Transculturation was not limited to religion alone it has also greatly influenced the music that emerges from Cuba. The instruments and rhythms that encompassed West African rituals prevail on the island, making percussion and wind instruments staples in Cuban music. Guaguanco, Afro-Cuban music and dance, is the direct result of this.

Beyond the sociocultural impact, it is essential to discuss the political aspect of this relationship. Following the removal of Fulgencio Batista’s regime and subsequent consolidation of power, one of Fidel Castro’s first actions was to forge a relationship with the African continent, where the dark cloud of the Monroe Doctrine did not follow. After a series of trips to Cairo accompanied by Che Guevara and an impressive speech at the United Nations in 1960, there was immediate rapprochement with several countries on the continent. He would go on to foster these relationships with both hard and soft power throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, sending military (up to 65,000 troops at one point) and civilian assistance (humanitarian and educational) to countries amid decolonisation and the turmoil that accompanied it. By the mid-1970s, Cuba was involved in 17 African nations and three African insurgencies (Foreign Affairs). It would be most known for two interventions: in Algeria and Angola.

Nelson Mandela with Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1991. Castro was a figure of inspiration to apartheid opponents. Credit: Getty images

These interventions would have different impacts, marking the start of Cuba’s love affair with Africa and strengthening ties to the continent. Beginning in 1961, Cuba supported the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) in the fight against French colonial occupation first in humanitarian and military assistance that evolved into a full military presence. Angola (1965 to 1991) would be the next country to benefit from Castro’s attachment to Africa, an intervention that would be Cuba’s longest and most significant entanglement. Like in Algeria, but on a much grander scale, Cuba invested all sorts of resources into this intervention: This culminated in a claimed victory at the Battle of Cuite Carnavale, after which Cuba retired (in military presence) from the region and the apartheid regime in South Africa would be dismantled.

The revolutionary spirit and committed on-the-ground support from Cuba during the period of African decolonisation instilled a persevering alliance between Africa and Cuba, through the leaders and the people. The opinion of pivotal African leaders then was consistently positive, based on several statements made by the likes of Nelson Mandela, Ben Bella, and Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi. Currently, many African leaders continue to support Cuba and promote the benefits of the African-Cuban relationship, as is exemplified in the rhetoric of the annual meeting of ‘African Solidarity with Cuba.’ At the time of its interventions, much of the African population was quite young and experienced the height of the Cuban generosity and collaborative effort. The impression Cuba left in the latter half of the twentieth century remains.

It is impossible to talk about Cuba without talking about its African roots, the relationships it cultivated and maintains with the continent today, and its history deeply woven into the fabric of the Cuban society. When the phrase “Yo soy Cuba!” is shouted through the streets of Havana and in the music that now reaches every continent, the voices of the African diaspora and of its ancestors yell the loudest and cannot be silenced any longer.

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