LECTURE: “DON’T MESS WITH THE SAINTS”” BY ALAN WEST-DURÁN

Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 7:00 – 8:30 pm

Green Library 220, Florida International University, Modesto A. Maidique campus

11200 SW 8^th Street, Miami, Florida 33199

Free and open to the public

Organized by the Cuban Research Institute, FIU

For more information or to confirm your attendance, contact cri@fiu.edu

Using the title of Ignacio Piñeiro’s “No juegues con los santos” [Don’t Mess with the Saints], this talk will examine the influence of Ocha, Palo, and Abakuá in Cuba’s music and their intimate relationship with Cuban daily life. Whether it is love, health, friendships, food, ethical dilemmas, hanging out in the streets, or expressing faith, these religions are deeply embedded in everyday activities. Using examples like “Yerbero moderno” (Nestor Mill), “Mambo Abacuá” (Arsenio Rodríguez), Niño santo” (Omar Sosa), “Soy todo” (Los Van Van), “Canto para Elewá y Changó” (Orishas), “Ponle fe” (Eleyó), “Misa cubana” (José María Vitier), and “Loké Ayé” (Síntesis), these everyday expressions are deeply linked to Cuban notions of justice and joy, along with the Yoruba concept of coolness. And equally, both the music and the religions embody a wisdom, a cultural memory, and a spirit of resistance.

Dr. Alan West-Durán is an Associate Professor of Latin American Studies in the Department of Cultures, Societies and Global Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. He is a poet, translator, critic, and essayist. His interests and research are in Caribbean literature, Afro-Cuban culture (art, music, religions, and literature) and Latin American film. He is the author of Cuba: A Cultural History (2017) and editor-in-chief of Cuba: People, Culture, History (2011).

The original announcement is at https://cri.fiu.edu/events/2018/the-influence-of-african-religions-on-cuban-music.

A POST BY PETER JORDENS