Each community maintains its identity through language, music, dance, religion, and membership organizations ranging from the cabildos (casa templos), self-help associations dating from the days of slavery and organized under African rules, to the West Indian Welfare Center, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. There is a wealth of culture for those discerning enough to look. Our aim is to help you do that by putting up as much material as we can. See our Table of Contents to access such major categories as Music, Author & Teachers on AfroCuban culture, Organizations that teach courses and workshops or are involved in the promotion of the African cultures of Cuba, as well as a number of other categories. We have:

Featured major artists and authors
Schedules for music groups, especially those performing in the US.
A Newsletter to alert you to new developments. 

In all, there are now over 700 pages of information available on this web site, with more being added via the What's New section.

Cultural transmission imperiled

The transmission of these African cultures is in peril. There has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in the cultures and the religions on the part of all Cubans, but for a number of reasons, including the lack of resources available inside Cuba to support an internal apprenticeship of the culture by the young from the old, the result has been incomplete initiations into the cultures. For various reasons, including the US blockade, the Cuban educational system has not been able to work with the communities to develop such resources. Those who are within the cultures also suffer from lack of means such as video cameras, tape recorders, or even pen and paper, especially paper which will withstand the ravages of climate and insects. Outsiders come in and and do research but this doesn't necessarily support the internal apprenticeship. We therefore have what has been termed the "descomposicion" of the religion, its falling apart, much as DNA strands decompose under aging. A recent and very unfortunate instance of this is the death of Luis Calle, holder of the Brikamo, who passed on in November, 1997. His very extensive knowledge was irreplaceable.

Feed the roots

We hope to support a "realimentacion", feeding the roots of these cultures. And help rescue from oblivion the more obscure and interesting elements now in danger of disappearing. Many of the Music pages are devoted to people whose passion is the recovery and maintenance of their old traditions. They have interesting ideas for doing this and many seek outside contact and collaboration.

We will work with those who have a love for these cultures and appeal to those who go down to the island to bring back material such as you find on these pages -- you can post it yourself in our Discussion Group. Or since we are interested in showcasing AfroCuban culture, we can give you web space for this purpose. Everyone we talked to down there is very interested in being known on the net, so you will have no shortage of material if you ask. Just be sure to get addresses and phone numbers (likely of neighbors) so folks can be contacted as a result of their material. And if you do send us materials, the best way is via email so we can put it right up without retyping.

Cuba's Music & Tourism Industry

Sad to say, it is in something of a disarray.   This is one potential source of revenue for cultural activities if handled correctly, both from the point of view of generating revenue and of generating revenue that does not trample on cultural values as has happened with Santeria in New York. 

Tourists going to Cuba are basically sold sand and hotel rooms, not Cuban culture.  There is still very little information available on Cuban web sites about carnavals, bands playing, clubs (especially clubs oriented towards Cubans).  This dearth of information reaches truly abysmal proportions, even at major events such as the 1999 Havana Jazz Festival, where the playlist was only available two days before opening.  The result of this is that tourists to Cuba are not repeat visitors, they tend to go once and move on to the next exotic destination for more fun on the beach.  This flies in the face of the richness of Cuban culture and its musical heritage.

Though it is legal to sell Cuban CDs in the US, there has been little organized effort on the part of the Cuban labels to do so, including a minimal on-line presence for ecommerce and none at all in the US market with places such as amazon.com.

However, we like to think that the comrades will eventually see the light and get moving in these arenas.

Populations in Cuba

Both the Cuban Government and the CIA Fact Book state that Cuba's population of African descent is around 62%.  This may well be an undercount.  Much of the controversy in these figures, when they are debated, stems from the Cuban approach to racial categorization, which in turn derives from Latin culture. Mulatos are counted separately and are not counted as "Black" so there is a tremendous undercount.  There was a great deal of mixture in Cuba so mulatos are numerous. Even Fidel Castro, normally though of as white, is said to have had a mulata mother, who was the unmarried servant of his father. [See Victor Franco, The Morning After: A French Journalist's Impressions of Cuba Under Castro, trans. Ivan Kats and Philip Pendered (New York: Praeger, 1963). p. 79.]

CIA Fact Book entry:  "Ethnic groups: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%"  (51+11=62...QED!)

In closing, a salute

We take this opportunity to express a special salute to all those Cubans who gave their energies and their lives in the wars of liberation in Southern Africa, remembering especially those who won the great victory at Cuito Cuanavale against the well equiped South African Defense Force and its Savimbi-led allies. This victory defended Angola against the supremacists as well as paved the way for a settlement in Namibia and for the transition in South Africa. Let it not be forgotten.

See Pedro Perez-Sarduy's poem Cumbite: "in memory of those who have struggled and fell for the Ngola of today."

"Mira Cuba, de lo mas tranquilo, nadie discute la dominacion de los españoles y las plantaciones con los esclavos como si nada." ["Look at Cuba, very peaceful, no one is talking about the domination by the Spaniards, and the plantations with their slaves go on as if nothing were happening."]   - Simon Bolivar, circa 1815.  He was referring to a time when the most conservative Spanish families fleeing the struggles for liberation in South America took refuge in Cuba.

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Postal address

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Electronic mail

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Last modified: February 24, 2007