Ọ̀ṣun becomes Cuban: The nationalist discourse over the mulata in Cuban popular culture and religion during the nineteenth century
In Cuba, the goddess of rivers, feminine beauty and motherhood, known as Ọ̀ṣun, became equated with Cuba's patron saint, who is portrayed as a mixed-race female known as La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. This article explores how Cuban popular culture, specifically surrounding the "mulata...
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Published in | Atlantic studies (Abingdon, England) Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 220 - 235 |
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Main Author | |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Routledge
03.04.2019
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | In Cuba, the goddess of rivers, feminine beauty and motherhood, known as Ọ̀ṣun, became equated with Cuba's patron saint, who is portrayed as a mixed-race female known as La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. This article explores how Cuban popular culture, specifically surrounding the "mulata" stock character, entered the lexicon of a West African religion during Cuba's independence movements in the second half of the nineteenth century. The mythology surrounding this West African goddess transformed in Cuba as a means in which to critique colonial rule and slavery, as well as contribute to the development of a national and cultural identity called cubanidad/cubanía. |
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ISSN: | 1478-8810 1740-4649 |
DOI: | 10.1080/14788810.2018.1490991 |