On Mondays and Wednesdays, we have lectures about Cuban culture, but on Thursday mornings, we select a museum in the city and begin our decent down to the supermercado for a cheap taxi. The first Thursday, we trekked over to El Museo Del Arte Cubano: Cuban Art Museum.
We only had about 3 hours there before we had to eat lunch and be back at the University by 1. I underestimated the size of the place because in retrospect, I would have spent less time on the pre-revolution art, which was considerably less interesting than the government-controlled communist propaganda paintings. Reflective of everything – material and metaphorical – in Cuba, there was an abundance of color. The paintings told stories of the revolution, expressed sentiments of national pride, and paid homage to nation's heros – most notably: Fidel and Raul, Che Guevara, and José Marti.
The citizens in the paintings were happy and hardworking to reflect the advantages of communism. Yes, it was one-sided, but perhaps balanced out what I was taught in all of those not-so-politically-neutral grade school history classes. A bit of religious irony sprinkled here and there – my favorite being “Virgin of the Melon”: a cartoonish drawing of a lady, her newborn via immaculate-conception, and the holy cantaloupe.
The next week was El Museo del Arte Europea: European Art. mehh. so, so. Nothing stuck out too much to my seasoned appreciation for ahhrt. No, it was actually really nice, I just don’t have anything profound to say about it.
This past Thursday, we went down to Habana Vieja, a very densely populated section of the city where we spend much of our free time, to visit El Museo de los Orichas. Orichas are…well, first, a history lesson: there are two major religions in Cuban culture. Catholicism (Hi Dad) from the Spanish influence – 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, etc. And Santería, now practiced by 90% of Cubans, which arrived in the 19th century from Africa. Unlike Catholicism, however, Santería and other African-derived religions (like Palo Monte and Sociedades Secretas Abakua) are considered “religiones cubanos,” religions unique to Cuba. That is, Santería doesn’t really exist in Africa, but is a Cuban concoction rooted in African influences and evolved through interaction with other cultures and religions. Like many things in Cuba, it represents a fusion of cultures, races, and beliefs.
Even Catholicism has had a heavy influence on the religion, most notably in the role of Orichas, which are more or less equivalent to Catholic saints. So on our visit to the Orichas Museum on Thursday, we got to see and learn about the different roles of these figures. Comparing different religions, especially ones with such a contrast of followers such as Catholicism and Santería, is always enlightening as it allows you to step back and realize the universal themes in religious philosophy.
Each Oricha had an associated date, and although there were only about 20-something Orichas, September 12 was there representing. I’m not really sure what it means for my birthday to be lined up with an Oricha, but mine happened to be a woman named Ochún: the female goddess of love. “Quien cuida,” (She who takes care of), symbol of sexuality and fertility, embodied in sweet water and waterfalls. Check.
So that was that and then we had to hop on the P-5 to La Rampa for class. The P-5 is no less crowded than the P-1, but it does play Spanish hip hop. Loudly. Which makes it considerably more or less tolerable, depending on what kind of mood you’re in.
Speaking of music, a few weeks ago, we went to a jazz concert in an old church restored as a museum. The musicians were apparently widely known, and had tour dates that week in Canada and England. There we were, ignorant of whom it was we were getting to see, and all of a sudden, people start applauding profusely and everyone was out of their seats in a standing ovation before I even could identify the subject of this excitement. Turns out, one of the ladies from the Buena Vista Social Club had come to make a surprise performance. She’s quite dramatic. Once on stage, the music began and she decided to sit down and slump her head between her knees. She was like this for that awkward amount of time where I thought something might be wrong, but didn’t really want to make eye contact with anyone else for fear of being culturally uninformed. Good thing this was only an internal deliberation and I remained frozen because she started moan-singing and slowly raised her head. Sounds weird, but it was actually quite the show, as she eventually got up to sing and dance. Profe was with us, and he knew someone who knew her, so we got a group picture with her. Except that happened while I was in line for the bathroom.
Then had to go out and get personalized towers of beer to complete the cultural experience
On Saturday, Profe had planned to take us to a botanical garden outside of Havana, complete with giraffes, elephants, and lions. I was excited to say the least. But Jefe’s van broke down, which is code for he’s too hung-over or he got another last-minute job that pays more. So we’ll save that trip for another day, and got taxis to El Museo de Jose Marti instead. The Marti tower is a landmark in Havana for its height, because there really aren’t any other tall buildings. If you need a visual, imagine a skinnier version of the Regions building in downtown Montgomery. Oh yeah that’s tall! Oh wait no it’s not. The top did offer a pretty view of the city though, and I discovered a lot more organiponicos that I need to visit. The bottom floor is a small museum paying homage to Marti with paintings, photos, stories, and hundreds of his quotes tiled on the walls.
Marti’s face is everywhere in Cuba, alongside Che and Castro. He was born into poverty in Havana in 1852, and became an intellectual, writer, and primary figure in uniting Cuba to fight in their second war of independence against Spain. We’ve been reading a lot of about Cuban independence and U.S. military intervention in class, so we had a basis of appreciation for Marti and his accomplishments. Although he was an intellectual, uniting the Cuban people through symbolism in his writings, he prompted the most tangible outcome: independence in the war against Spain (which we later dubbed the Spanish-American War…won’t get into that charade today). He fought and died in the war.
That was a lot of information. I have carpal tunnel. Shelby, Pavia, and I are going to the ballet on Friday, and all of us to Santa Clara for the …..CHE MUSEUM (¡!!!¡!) on Saturday, so lots more cultural stuff to come.
I always knew that you were a special goddess-- so, I googled Ọṣhun-- found out that she is beneficent, generous and very kind. She does, however, have a horrific temper, one which she seldom ever loses but which causes untold destruction whenever she does.
ReplyDeleteYep, I am pretty sure this is you!