African Tribal Roots in Cuba

African Tribal Roots in Cuba

    Have you ever been in an Afro-Cuban Bembe party? What is its main purpose? Where does this came from? Personally, I have been in this kind of cult in Cuba, but also this kind of ritual has been spread to other countries such as Haiti, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Republic Dominican and The United States. This cult was first practiced by black people; however, nowadays this cult is performed by not only by black individuals but also by whites. Their amazing movements combined with attire and domestic items provide a mere idea of its ritual meaning. Dancing is accompanied by all kinds of movement, percussive sounds and rhythm makes a unique form of worship to the Orichas or African gods as they are called. The Bembe is a cult inherited from ancient African where the performers invite and impersonate the Saints’ spirits through dancing. 

    Afro-Cuban Bembe party is a cult inherited from several African cultures. The beginning of slaves’ transportation from various parts of Africa to Cuba set the Afro-Cuban religious dance basis in the Caribbean Island. Many of these religious dances came from culture lucumies of Western Nigeria Yoruba culture while others came from the West of sub-Saharan Africa Bantu culture comprising part of territories of republic of Congo, Zaire and Angola and Equatorial Guinea. These cultures have their own particular religious dance styles, for example; the Abakua‘s religious dance is inherited from the Bantu Culture while the Santeros or Rule of Ocha is from the Yoruba Culture. (Elosegui 2013) Many ancient tribes comprised all of these cultures across the African continent. Dancing is a common denominator of worship of Afro-Cuban ceremonies. 

   Through a Bembe party the priests invite the Saints’ spirits to take possession of their bodies. This is possible by the confluence of songs, rhythm, color and motion which calls the Saints to recognize himself in this ritual context. Through this form of adoration the Orichas are praised, greeted and implored to take possession of the performers’ bodies or possession through the trance. A possession trance cults get their climax through a kind of ecstatic dance. Both women and men perform this type of cults. After they convoke the spirits, their bodies are taken over by the Orichas. Then, the person in a trance performs dance motions which imitate the Orichas spirits. After they are awaken from this kind of abduction, however, they do not recall what happened or what they really did when the Orichas spirits took over their bodies. (Cass 11) 

    

    In the Bembe cults the priests impersonate the Orichas gestures through dance movements. The movements are both rhythmic and mimetic; they have to be synchronized to the drum sound and the characteristic Orichas gestures. The movements reveal the saints itself, for example; Yemaya simulates the movement of waves; Ogoun, move his hands with a machete and Oshun represents the way in which she get dressed to the hand mirror. Chango, the Saint of fire, lighting and virility makes action with arms that simulates lightning falling from the sky. His style of dance is very masculine. (Murphy 2012) On the other side, Oshum is the Oricha of sensuality, love and sweet waters. Her dance is cheerful and carefree; she shakes her head to both shoulders. Also she simulates bathing in the river. Her style of dancing is very feminine. Dancing through pantomime, sudden gestures, jumps, twists, turns, erotic pelvis thrusts and waist and others movements characterized by the tribal African dancers.

    Indeed the Afro-Cuban Bembe is a cult inherited by many African descendants in Cuba. These were performed by many African tribes spread all over of West Nigeria and Africa central and then practiced in many American countries, due to, the black slave transportations. Through this kind of cult the performers convoke the Saints spirits to take over their bodies. Through a possession trance the priest or performer reaches the climax state; it becomes an ecstatic dance. The movements itself have religious meaning which simulate the ancestral African saints. The performers impersonate the Orichas movement and gestures by either in trance possession or free states. This form of art is much better understood if it is witness personally. It certainly makes you feel little excited and impressed by the priests’ performances. 

Works Cited

Cass, Joan. Dancing through History. New Jersey: A Pearson Education Company, 1993. 9-19. Print.

Elosegui, Felipe. "Afro-Cuban Santeria Ceremony "The Bembe"." The Cuban History com. Ed. Arnoldo Varona. WordPress, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Murphy, Joseph M. "Black Music Research Journal." "CHANGO 'TA VENI'/CHANGO HAS COME": SPIRITUAL EMBODIMENT IN THE AFRO-CUBAN CEREMONY, BEMBÉ. Center for Black Music Research, 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.