Heart in Havana! ¡Baila Rumba!
July 24, 2018
¡Feliz Lunes mi gente bella! With all the curve balls that life throws our way it’s important to not lose sight of why we do what we do. Take care of yourselves through spirituality, exercise, meditation, therapy, or whatever method you deem necessary. The Gordita’s Way movement challenges the intersections of Latinx culture, the complexities of diet culture, & the fight for body acceptance. The fight continues and will never stop, and in the process of cultural awakening we must never cease to give praise to our ancestors that came before us! Today’s Gordita’s Way blog, “Heart in Havana, Baila Rumba” will be illustrating my most recent trip to Cuba, deciphering Afro-Caribbean practices and drawing connections between Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban dances through a religion called Santería.
My visit to Cuba was a much needed and spiritually awakening. I was able to meet my papastro’s (stepdad’s) familia and come to understand Cuban rituals and practices on various levels. As a Boricua who is open and learning the ropes around the religion, I’m writing this with the transparency of a newbie! I acknowledge that I am very new to learning these beautiful practices so feel free to add context in the comment section & show some love! I’ll also be drawing connections between Orisha dances, Bomba, & Rumba.
What is Santería?
Santería: An Afro-Caribbean religious practice brought forth during the slave trade through the Yoruba people of West Africa. The literal translation is “worship of saints.” Today, this practice is very popular in the Caribbean and heavily influences Afro-Caribbean traditional styles of dances including Bomba, Rumba, Orisha, and various other dances. Santería incorporates the worship of Orishas, elements of Catholicism, & Indigenous practices. In a world of evil colonialism, our ancestors were forced to hide their religion behind Christian customs. The traditional worship of Orishas was disguised behind the Santos, hence the religion was hidden for many decades due to the fact that Christianity was enforced on the African people. For many decades, Santería was only practiced by the African people. Today, people from all over the world practice Santería and celebrate their initiation through a ceremony that commonly takes place in Cuba.
In Cuba, I met some awesome familia and friends who taught me more about Santos, Orishas, & their spiritual beliefs. Gordita’s Way’s last blog titled “Heart without Borders: Corazón sin Fronteras” demonstrated the adversity my stepdad William had to endure when he applied to go back home. Due to some complex policies, William was not able to go to Cuba this year to visit his familia. Con bendiciones (blessings), William sent me off to Cuba to meet his family.His family taught me about spiritual customs, Santo representation, Orisha, & traditional Afro-Cuban dance styles! As you all know, I am obsessed with dance! Gordita’s Way’s previous blog, “Bomba, Medicine for my Soul” highlighted traditional dance styles from Puerto Rico, which are heavily influenced by our African Ancestors. Being the curious woman I am, I wanted to draw connections between Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban dances like Bomba and Rumba!
My Cuban familia taught me about traditional Santería customs and showed me that I would have the absolute best experience witnessing an Orisha Dance and Rumba throughout my stay!
Callejon de Hamel: Rumba!
My hermana hermosa
My sister Dayana Rodriguez, newly adopted tías: Mercedes y Belen (William’s sisters), y la amiga de Dayana, Beysi, taught me about traditional Santería customs and rest assured that I would have the absolute best experience witnessing an Orisha Dance and Rumba for the duration of my stay!
Why it’s important to understand Orisha Dances
The Orishas serve as a spiritual entities that guide our paths. Orishas are present to help guide our consciousness, create a path, and communicate with our ancestors. While there are many Orishas, each person has one that manifests itself more dominantly than others into an individual. If you want to know about each Orisha and their representation: check out: The Orishas.
Part of what makes Cuba so beautiful is that it is so untouched by Western civilization. Visiting my familia in Cuba was one of the most humbling experiences yet. Whether we choose to believe it or not, culture has dissipated in Latin America. Every 2nd generation Latinx/POC and beyond have conformed to white society even if it’s done subconsciously. In many parts of the Caribbean, culture becomes sanitized by and syncretized with colonialism and Catholicism, thus traditional customs become disguised behind white ideologies. As a result, we see an apparent diaspora that exists amongst Latinx folks in a white-washed society. Cultural awakening happens when we connect to our ancestors and are aware of the magic that music and the power of the drums bring to the soul! My previous blog, “Bomba, Medicine for my Soul,” states
In Santería, it’s important to know what Orisha guides your path. Dayana and Beysi took me to Callejon de Hamel to witness the beautiful and traditional Rumba and Orisha dances! It was a day filled with pure joy; I received a psychic reading at Callejon de Hamel by one of the elders in the community. She told me that my Orisha was Yemaya & told me to say “yo soy la hija de Yemaya.” Yemaya represents the goddess of the living ocean, mother of all. Witnessing the magic that came before me, I couldn’t help but smile and feel the connection between Bomba and Rumba resonate in my soul. I was shocked when one of the performers pulled me out to dance during the performance!
The connections I saw between Rumba and Bomba
As a proud Bombera who finds genuine joy and strong spirituality through the calling of the drums, movement of the body, and songs of Bomba, I found the connections between Bomba & Rumba to be incredibly provoking. Do not underestimate the power of the drums! When you hear the drums or barriles pounding, healing takes place. It felt incredible to witness Afro-Cuban Rumberos getting down in front of my eyes! My family made sure my trip to Cuba was the best ones yet. Both Bomba de Puerto Rico, y Rumba de Cuba, honor Orisha African Ancestors. Bomba and Rumba were used as forms of political rebellion against colonization. Both dances are used as powerful tools to communicate with our ancestors.
Havana Mama
Now that we have broken down d the term Orisha, what comes to your mind when you think of Orishas? When I say Orisha, I believe it to mean a direct communication between me and my ancestors. My Orisha echoes through my soul when I dance Bomba. The Orisha dances in Cuba brought me further on my journey of self-love and understanding. Creativity comes from connecting with a force outside of ourselves. These practices are so deep– “Me cure, me cure, con la Bomba me cure.” De la misma forma,, “¡me cure, me cure, con la Rumba, me cure!”
AfriCaribe’s All White Bombazo & film Screening this Saturday!
Come out to AfriCaribe’s next all White Bombazo this Saturday July 28th at the Casita de Don Pedro from 7-10pm. A film, Árbol de Sombra: Bomba Chicago, will be presented to share our love through the essence of song, drum and dance open to the community! Happy Motivational Monday mi gente bella! Until next time!