Òṣun 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 Òṣun, 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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Bibliographic Details
Published inAtlantic studies (Abingdon, England) Vol. 16; no. 2; p. 220
Main Author Lovejoy, Henry B
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.06.2019
Subjects
19th century
Beauty
Colonialism
Cultural identity
Deities
Economic development
Ethnic identity
Independence movements
Mothers
Multiracial people
National identity
Nationalism
Popular culture
Race
Religion
Rivers
Slavery
Cuba
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Summary:In Cuba, the goddess of rivers, feminine beauty and motherhood, known as Òṣun, 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.
ISSN:1478-8810
DOI:10.1080/14788810.2018.1490991