Havana, Cuba - Day Two

Havana Vieja 

My second day in Cuba began with a walking tour of Old Havana; a journey that was filled with plazas, Cathedrals, a mosque, an Orthodox Church and statues galore.

We had several frank discussions about religion with our guide, Rosa, but my biggest take away was: “Inside the church you are Catholic or whatever else. Outside you are Cuban.”

Rooftop view of Old Havana.

In this way Cuban identity is allowed to peacefully coexist with religious affiliation, as long as you remember you are Cuban first. 

Being Cuban first was a common theme throughout the trip.
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(Left to right) Martha, Caruka, Anabell and Jennifer

​The tour concluded with a walk to Barrio Havana - a community center inside the poorest district in Havana and a place tourists do not often see - to have lunch at a community center for the elderly. The group the runs the center works not only with the elderly, but also with teenagers and children, connecting the private sector with the public sector and building community through culture, art, education, the environment, etc.

​Next was visiting the home of Caruka, the mother of a Cuban rapper, and her friends and neighbors Martha, Jennifer and Anabell.

At 78, Martha stole the show with stories about “Mangos” or juicy women, and stolen kisses she had with a coworker she was pursuing. Her descriptions and reading of a poem she’d written her love interested had me in stitches.
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Religion with African Roots in Cuba

The following meeting was at the community center of a Cuban artist Salvador Gonzáles Escalona. His center highlights the influences of slavery on Cuban religion, dance and art. The man who led me through the center was very clear that: “There is no African religion in Cuba, only Cuban religions with African roots.”
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The three main religions with African roots that still exist in Cuba today are Santería, Palo Monte, and Abakuá (a secret society just for me).

Santería, meaning ‘worship of saints,’ combines elements from the African religion of the Nigeria’s Yoruba tribe with Catholicism. Many of the Santería gods, or orishas, bear a resemblance to Catholic saints. Because Santería exists in harmony with Catholicism, the most common religion in Cuba, the religion is popular.

My favorite orisha was Changó, god of fire, thunder, music and dancing. His favored animal is the turtle, which is why he quickly drew my interest #TurtlesRock.

Cimafunk

Our final meeting of the day was with a man described by an American tour guide in Cuba, Isabel, as “The hottest musician in Cuba right now by far.”

Cimafunk (Erik Iglesias) was an interesting man to interview. He was open to questions, but wasn’t open to offering a lot on info unless questioned with particular skill. Good thing I’m a trained journalist, so it was great practice.

One of the best lines of questioning was when I asked how he first started singing. “I started singing in church. My grandmother and mom took me there.”  

I later asked if he still sang in church. He laughed and replied: “I left the church. I am the church now.”

However, he was difficult get to speak about the topics I really wanted to know about; namely opportunities in the music industry for Afro-Cubans and any particular hardships he might face due to his race.

​Cimafunk’s very name is derived from the term cimarrion, or a person who escaped slavery and fled into the mountains and caves in the Cuban countryside. Yet, he was reluctant to discuss either his own heritage as an Afro-Cuban or the influence on his music outside of “American culture” he heard on his uncle’s cassettes while growing up.

He did, however, describe his music as “alternative fusion.” And if you visit his website it’s clear that fusion comes from a mix of Cuban music and African rhythms. 

My favorite quote from the conversation was - after a bit of back and forth where he seemed reluctant to discuss his heritage or musical influences but had admitted he got his start singing in church as a child - I asked if he still sang in church. Cimafunk laughed and said, “I left the church. I am the church now.” 

When I first spoke with him, he hadn’t yet visited the United States. But that won’t have lasted long as Cimafunk will be in DC performing in on Thursday in DC - and guess who got tickets?!