Somos Iguales
April Caddell
“Somos iguales.” This is what an Afro-Cuban older man said to me as a group of us students and our professor left the house of Fernando Ortiz, the anthropologist of Afro-Cuban religions and culture. This moment was a highlight of my trip to Cuba, and the strong sense of community and awareness of African diasporic experiences I felt throughout the stay. Somos iguales means “We are the same” or “We are equal.” I took it to mean that the older man was expressing to me how those of African descent living throughout the world, descendants of enslaved Africans, are the same regardless of geographical location and e cultural differences. Indeed, there is a noticeable difference between Afro-Cuban cultures from African American cultures, but we are still in ways inextricably tied together.
One aspect of Afro-Cuban culture, and Cuban culture in general that I admired was the respect for religious diversity. Santeria and Palo Monte are religious practices that are not seen as deviant or in competition with more mainstream religions such as Catholicism. Although religious diversity is something that is present in many places throughout the world, including the United States, the respect for various spiritual expressions is not always the reality. In Cuba, we visited the homes and house temples of various practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions. The altar displays were both beautiful and intentional. In my experience with living in the United States I know of a few people who have altars, but they are definitely a minority group. Some people see altars as something that you visit in a church. Having one at your own home is considered different or even weird by some. Religions also did not seem to compete with each other. Practitioners of Santeria, for example, did not see their practice as preventing them from visiting a church or displaying depictions of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in their homes.
April Caddell
“Somos iguales.” This is what an Afro-Cuban older man said to me as a group of us students and our professor left the house of Fernando Ortiz, the anthropologist of Afro-Cuban religions and culture. This moment was a highlight of my trip to Cuba, and the strong sense of community and awareness of African diasporic experiences I felt throughout the stay. Somos iguales means “We are the same” or “We are equal.” I took it to mean that the older man was expressing to me how those of African descent living throughout the world, descendants of enslaved Africans, are the same regardless of geographical location and e cultural differences. Indeed, there is a noticeable difference between Afro-Cuban cultures from African American cultures, but we are still in ways inextricably tied together.
One aspect of Afro-Cuban culture, and Cuban culture in general that I admired was the respect for religious diversity. Santeria and Palo Monte are religious practices that are not seen as deviant or in competition with more mainstream religions such as Catholicism. Although religious diversity is something that is present in many places throughout the world, including the United States, the respect for various spiritual expressions is not always the reality. In Cuba, we visited the homes and house temples of various practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions. The altar displays were both beautiful and intentional. In my experience with living in the United States I know of a few people who have altars, but they are definitely a minority group. Some people see altars as something that you visit in a church. Having one at your own home is considered different or even weird by some. Religions also did not seem to compete with each other. Practitioners of Santeria, for example, did not see their practice as preventing them from visiting a church or displaying depictions of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in their homes.