The revolution

On 1 January 1959, the pro-American president Batista fled Havana soon after Castro's men captured the capital. In the spirit of the revolution there was talk of freedom, responsibility and equality. Both blacks and women were given rights they had not enjoyed before. Santería was still not quite acceptable in refined society, and both this religion and Catholicism were considered as threatening and incompatible with the ideas of the revolution. Both religions were banned: Santería because it was considered as primitive and incompatible with the revolutionary ideas of an educated people; Catholicism because its strong hierarchy and international contacts could directly threaten the Cuban government. People who openly showed they believed in Santería, by for example wearing a necklace showing which santo they belonged to, risked losing their jobs.

The santera Luisa referred to this period as "the time when your necklace always had to be kept deep down in your pocket when you went to school, so that rumours that you were a Santería devotee would not start to circulate". Most believers in Santería kept their beliefs to themselves because of such stories. Rituals, feasts and sacrifices were performed secretly. Santería, which had survived the attacks of the Spaniards because the believers concealed their worship behind Catholic images of saints, now survived behind closed doors.

An altar hidden behind closed cupboard doors.

Santería - a visible part of street life

It was only in the early 1990s that full religious freedom was introduced in Cuba. The reason is reportedly that Castro realised there was not necessarily any conflict between being revolutionary and religious. In addition, he no doubt realised that education and bans would not in any case chase either Catholic saints or African santos from the country. Today it is therefore possible to show that you practice Santería, even if you work at the university or in the public sector. Santería is today a visible part of the street scene. "I know people high up in the party, and in the very intelligence service itself, that are babalawos," said one babalawo (high priest) to the writers Bye and Hoel (1997). People also talk about both doctors and university professors who practice Santería. Although Santería is widespread, it is still not accepted in all walks of life and among all groups.

A common answer to the question of whether people consider Santería to be accepted in society was the following phrase from the Cuban group Alvares y Son: "Consultarse por la madrugada" (seek consultation at dawn). This refers to people consulting a religious expert while it is still dark so that nobody will see them. Thus, there are still people who do not accept Santería and therefore also people who conceal their faith. The santera Teresa belonged to the group of believers who had not told anyone, including her teachers and fellow students at the university, that she was an initiate. She explained it this way: "It is difficult enough to be black and be considered for a good job, if you should not also be associated with Santería."

Today Santería is far more accepted than only 10 years ago, even though there are still many sceptics and critics. However, it is difficult to say how many followers Santería has as no statistics are available. Cuba's annual statistical survey for 1999 says nothing about the number of believers or how widespread this religion is. One reason for this lack of statistics may be that the organisational structure of the cult makes it difficult to get a clear overview of the number of believers, but it is also due to the authorities' lack of interest in finding out and making the figures known.

Santería is today visible in the streets, it is present in popular music, and the tourist industry uses Santería in cabaret shows and tourist products. According to people in Havana, all music groups with any self-respect will have at least one song in their repertory about Santería or the santos. Examples may be the rap groups Orichas singing "Canto para Elegguá y para Changó" (I'm singing for Elegguá and I'm singing for Changó), NG La Banda praising "Papa Changó", and Van Van singing "Ay Dios ampárame!" (Oh God, embrace me) with a picture of a Santería necklace on the cover.

In parallel with the Cubans' growing interest in Santería, foreigners have also discovered this religion, and many go to Cuba to be initiated. Most of them come from other countries in Latin America and the U.S.A., but there are also santeros and babalawos in Europe.

Santería dolls on sale in a souvenir shop in Havana.

Glossary

The words most commonly used, both Spanish and in Yoruba (the religious language in Santería, preserved from the time of the slaves and still in use in parts of Nigeria), will be explained here. They are marked in the text in italics.

Babalawo: Padre de los secretos, the father of secrets. Priest in Ifá, the supreme step in Santería, a position held by men only. The babalawo is the one who can sacrifice animals and who can predict the future through his communication with Orula, the god of divinations.

Hacerse santo: Means to "make oneself santo" or to be born into the religion, and is the actual initiation into the religion. Initiation takes place during a week-long stay in a room where the person to be initiated is symbolically reborn and receives the santo over his head. After this, the initiate becomes a santera (if a woman) or a santero (if a man), and can begin to work in the religion.

Iyawó(se): Novice. This is a person who has been initiated into Santería in the course of the last year. They can be identified by their white garments, which they must wear for a whole year after initiation. In addition they are subjected to a number of restrictions.

Madrina: Godmother. The santera (female initiate) who accompanies you through the initiation ritual and who will later guide you in religious issues. See padrino, the male counterpart.

Obbá: Sacrificial priest. The obbá may, like the babalawo, sacrifice animals.

Oricha/Ocha: Deity. Oricha is the African name for santo, in other words deity in the Santería pantheon. Santo is, incidentally, the most commonly used name among the believers, even though they are often referred to as orichas in written texts. Santo is the Spanish word for a Catholic saint. The term regla de Ocha, which is another term for Santería, is derived from the word orisha.

Padrino: Godfather. The santero (male initiate) who accompanies you through the initiation ritual and who will later guide you in religious issues. See madrina, the female counterpart.

Santera/santero: Woman/man who has been initiated. They have undergone the hacerse santo ritual and can therefore work in the religion and initiate others, in other words become madrina (godmother) or padrino (godfather).

Santo: Saint. In Yoruba they are often called oricha or ocha.

http://www.khm.uio.no/utstillinger/sant … ssary.html
Santeria - afrikanske guder i Havannas gater

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