Pedro Pérez Sarduy - Afro-Cuban Voices: On Race and Identity in Contemporary Cuba

UNIVERSITY PRESS OF FLORIDA

Florida A&M University, Tallahassee

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers

Florida International University, Miami

Florida State University, Tallahassee

New College of Florida, Sarasota

University of Central Florida, Orlando

University of Florida, Gainesville

University of North Florida, Jacksonville

University of South Florida, Tampa

University of West Florida, Pensacola

CONTEMPORARY CUBA

Edited by John M. Kirk

Afro-Cuban Voices: On Race and Identity in Contemporary Cuba, by Pedro Prez Sarduy and Jean Stubbs (2000; first paperback edition, 2020)

Cuba, the United States, and the Helms-Burton Doctrine: International Reactions, by Joaqun Roy (2000)

Cuba Today and Tomorrow: Reinventing Socialism, by Max Azicri (2000; first paperback edition, 2001)

Cubas Foreign Relations in a Post-Soviet World, by H. Michael Erisman (2000; first paperback edition, 2002)

Cubas Sugar Industry, by Jos Alvarez and Lzaro Pea Castellanos (2001)

Culture and the Cuban Revolution: Conversations in Havana, by John M. Kirk and Leonardo Padura Fuentes (2001)

Looking at Cuba: Essays on Culture and Civil Society, by Rafael Hernndez, translated by Dick Cluster (2003)

Santera Healing: A Journey into the Afro-Cuban World of Divinities, Spirits, and Sorcery, by Johan Wedel (2004)

Cubas Agricultural Sector, by Jos Alvarez (2004)

Cuban Socialism in a New Century: Adversity, Survival, and Renewal, edited by Max Azicri and Elsie Deal (2004)

Cuba, the United States, and the Post-Cold War World: The International Dimensions of the Washington-Havana Relationship, edited by Morris Morley and Chris McGillion (2005)

Redefining Cuban Foreign Policy: The Impact of the Special Period, edited by H. Michael Erisman and John M. Kirk (2006)

Gender and Democracy in Cuba, by Ilja A. Luciak (2007; first paperback edition, 2009)

Ritual, Discourse, and Community in Cuban Santera: Speaking a Sacred World, by Kristina Wirtz (2007)

The New Man in Cuba: Culture and Identity in the Revolution, by Ana Serra (2007)

U.S.-Cuban Cooperation Past, Present, and Future, by Melanie M. Ziegler (2007; first paperback edition, 2009)

Protestants, Revolution, and the Cuba-U.S. Bond, by Theron Corse (2007)

The Changing Dynamic of Cuban Civil Society, edited by Alexander I. Gray and Antoni Kapcia (2008)

Cuba in the Shadow of Change: Daily Life in the Twilight of the Revolution, by Amelia Rosenberg Weinreb (2009; first paperback edition, 2011)

Failed Sanctions: Why the U.S. Embargo against Cuba Could Never Work, by Paolo Spadoni (2010)

Sustainable Urban Agriculture in Cuba, by Sinan Koont (2011; first paperback edition, 2017)

Fifty Years of Revolution: Perspectives on Cuba, the United States, and the World, edited by Soraya M. Castro Mario and Ronald W. Pruessen (2012)

Cuban Economists on the Cuban Economy, edited by Al Campbell (2013)

Cuban Revelations: Behind the Scenes in Havana, by Marc Frank (2013; first paperback edition, 2015)

Cuba in a Global Context: International Relations, Internationalism, and Transnationalism, edited by Catherine Krull (2014; first paperback edition, 2016)

Healthcare without Borders: Understanding Cuban Medical Internationalism, by John M. Kirk (2015)

Rescuing Our Roots: The African Anglo-Caribbean Diaspora in Contemporary Cuba, by Andrea J. Queeley (2015; first paperback edition, 2017)

On Race and Identity in Contemporary Cuba

Edited by Pedro Prez Sarduy
and Jean Stubbs

University Press of Florida

Gainesville Tallahassee Tampa Boca Raton
Pensacola Orlando Miami Jacksonville Ft. Myers Sarasota

Copyright 2000 by Pedro Prez Sarduy and Jean Stubbs

All rights reserved

Published in the United States of America

First cloth printing, 2000

First paperback printing, 2020

25 24 23 22 21 20 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Prez Sarduy, Pedro, 1943

Afro-Cuban voices: on race and identity in contemporary Cuba / Pedro Prez Sarduy and Jean Stubbs.

p. cm. (Contemporary Cuba)

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8130-1735-8 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-0-8130-6821-3 (pbk.)

1. BlacksRace identityCuba. 2. Blacks in art. 3. Blacks in literature. 4. BlacksCubaSocial conditions. 5. CubaRace relations. I. Stubbs, Jean, 1946. II. Title. III. Series.

F1789.N3 P47 2000

305.896'07291dc21 99-053467

The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.

University Press of Florida

2046 NE Waldo Road

Suite 2100

Gainesville, FL 32609

http://upress.ufl.edu

Cuba is a fascinating study. Witness the continuing debate over whether Washington should normalize relations with Havana, nearly forty years after the United States severed relations with the Castro government, or the changes in the Cuban American community in recent years. U.S. business interest in Cuba has also grown dramatically, with many trade missions visiting the island in preparation for the day when the blockade will be lifted. From Jack Nicholson to the Baltimore Orioles, from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to leading U.S. industrialists, it is clear that domestic interest in things Cuban is increasing.

In international matters, too, Cubaa country of just 11 millioncontinues to play a role that belies its relatively small size. The importance of the visit of Pope John Paul II in January 1998 has received justifiable attention. But in 1998 alone Cuba was also visited by the leaders of ten countries (from the prime minister of Canada to the president of Colombia) and no less than twenty-five foreign ministers.

Given this growing fascination with Cuba, the University Press of Florida has decided to launch a series of books examining contemporary Cuba (defined loosely, but not exclusively, as Cuba since 1959). The basic concept is of a number of academic studies that examinefrom a variety of perspectives, and over a range of disciplinesthe nature of Cuba today. (The Press welcomes proposals from all potential contributors.)

This book on the thorny issue of race relations is the first volume in the series. It is important because strengthening racial equality and eradicating racial discrimination have long been major goals of the Cuban revolutionary process. The racism that existed in Batistas Cuba has been well documentedbut what of life in Cuba today?