Between Guantanamera and Guantanamo
New Cuban perspectives on an amazing background
Juan-Ramon told us last February in Havana that, for the first time, Cuba had been invited to
participate in the “Cumbre de los Americas”, the summit of the heads of state of the Nations
comprising the Americas, and that a Cuban and an American President would be sitting in
the same room for the first time since 1959. His voice sounded hopeful.
Exploring the Cuban culture and society
Franziska and I have been there to explore the Cuban culture. Juan-Ramon is journalist,
member of the proofreading committee of the Supreme Court of Havana and language
teacher. As we are both able to conduct conversations in Spanish, we interviewed JuanRamon during a total of 25 hours. We wanted to know everything about the culture, the
social life and the patterns of behavior of the Cuban society. After having filled up our books
with an amazing volume of information, we visited the country and cities like Viñales, Soroa,
Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Santa Clara. After our stay in Cuba we kept on researching on
every aspect of the Cuban culture. Our experience results in feeling a very special
relationship with this exciting country.
The price of freedom
The roads are partially unusable. The tap water is suspect. Connecting to the Internet or
finding a mobile data network is a challenge and the store shelves are usually empty. The
region around Varadero, where the socialist government maintains a tourist paradise for 3
Millions of tourists yearly, is an exception. Nevertheless, it is the Cuba of the Cubans that
has seduced us. This is the Cuba where joie de vivre bursts forth in all its colors despite the
surrounding material obliteration, where Santeria, the marriage of Christianity and African
religions, is celebrated daily, and where only the present seems to be important.
Never before had we felt so close a relationship between the history and the culture of a
people
© Copyright – All rights reserved, intermedio, Yous & partner – November 2015
1
as we did in Cuba. "Guantanamera" and Guantanamo belong both to Cuba's history. The
text of the "Guantanamera" folk song is derived from the verses of Jose Marti and evokes the
desire of Cubans for freedom. Guantanamo reminds them that they are not yet entirely free.
José Martí, a poet and a national hero
José Martí symbolizes Cuba's identity more than Fidel Castro and "Che" Guevara. The writer,
poet, journalist, and politician Martí was the outstanding figure of the Cuban War of
Independence. In 1878 the Cubans lost the first war against the Spanish occupying power
after 10 years of guerrilla warfare. Marti founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party in US exile
in 1892. Martí was killed by three Spanish shots when war broke out in 1895. Three years
later, on August 12, 1898, Cuba gained independence for the first time in its history. Beyond
liberating Cubans from four centuries of Spanish domination, Martí gave them the
consciousness of being a nation.
José Martí published his "Versos Sencillos" (simple verses), a collection of poems, in 1891.
The poem "Guantamera" became world famous through a Guajira improvisation that was
performed on the radio in 1935. "Guarija" is a model for musical improvisation. The refrain
"Guajira Guantanamera" is a play on words that means either "the Guarija Song from
Guantanamo" or "the farmer from Guantanamo".
The city of Guantanamo is located in far eastern Cuba in a province bearing the same name,
formerly called “Oriente”, and it is above all infamous today as the location of the American
military base and prison that frequently appears in the news headlines. Interestingly, the last
successful uprising of the Cubans in 1895 against the Spanish occupying power originated in
the same province.
This past April Barack Obama and Raoul Castro shook hands, thus heralding the beginning
of a new era in the diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. But
Guantanamo remains a point of contention. Negotiations must remain firm about this issue if
the Cubans ever want to exercise sole dominion over their territory. If they succeed, let us
bet that "Guantanamera" will be on everyone's lips.
The ingredients of Salsa
Cuban music bears traces of the country's history. The country is associated with Salsa,
among other things, although this style of music was created in New York and not Cuba.
However, there are Cuban musicians who have combined various other styles to create the
new Sauce music.
VIDEO: Buena Vista Social Club in Havana (Feb. 2015)
Salsa later found a home in the country of its inventor via Puerto Rico, where it further
developed into the Timba style among others. The world-famous "Buena Vista Social Club"
salsa brand, which has been performed by various bands on international tours since 1998,
still exists to this day.
Musical styles from Cuba have played a dominant role since the early 19th century. They
dominated the Latin music industry through the 1950s. Beginning in 1908 the "Son" radiated
out beyond Cuban borders. It predated the Guaracha, the Bolero, the Mambo and the Cha
Cha Cha, which all conquered the world in succession.
How politics influence the music
Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Cuban musical impulses relocated to the USA after the Cuban Revolution of 1956-1959. And
just like all the Cuban presidents since 1902, the dictator Batista was declared to be a
© Copyright – All rights reserved, intermedio, Yous & partner – November 2015
2
corrupt US puppet. Under the leadership of Fidel and Raoul Castro, Ernesto Guevara and
Camilo Cienfuegos, the rebels started their rising once again from the province of Oriente.
Batista fled to the United States. Fidel Castro seized power and established the present
socialist regime. In January 1961, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Mexico excepted, all Latin American countries took the same step.
One of the most important representatives of Cuban music went on tour in Mexico in 1960.
Celia Cruz was the singer of the group Sonara Mantacera. She did not subsequently return
to Cuba, but instead flew directly to New York where she established herself as the "Queen
of Salsa" and became known worldwide. Thanks to her musical talent and incredible
charisma, her interpretation of "Guantamera" brought the song to new levels of popularity.
Peter Seeger made out of the same song a hymn for the US trade unions and the group
"The Sandpipers" made it popular across generations with a new "pop" version.
Celia Cruz, "Queen of Salsa", 1925--2003
But the music business on the island threatened to collapse. The US economic embargo that
was imposed in 1962 made it impossible to export Cuban works. Cuban singers and
musicians could no longer be taken under contract by foreign companies. They lost their de
facto copyright to their compositions. Cuban music continued to evolve abroad, outside of its
home country. Only under Jimmy Carter's presidency (1977-1981) did cultural exchange
between Cuba and the United States experience a slight thaw.
In addition to the Timba, other Salsa variants are popular in Cuba today, including
Reggaeton and Cubaton. Rap is also present, and it is used, just like in other countries, as a
vehicle to criticize the political regime. The band Los Aldeanos are well-known performers of
this style. According to Juan-Ramon, our culture teacher in Havana, the lyrics of such groups
are often aggressive and vulgar.
The transcultural communication of the slaves
The soul of the ancient slaves still lives
Whether you remain in Havana or travel across Cuba, you will encounter music groups
everywhere. One can guess from the skin color of many musicians how big the influence of
African rhythms and dances has been. It started in the 16th century, as kidnapped African
from what is now Nigeria, Congo and Benin were imported as slaves into the country. In
Cuba alone 800,000 people were violated in this way. They were brought to the American
continent with nothing but misery in their eyes and their gods in their heart. Today these are
the saints that are cherished by all Cubans. Ellegua can be St. Anthony of Padua or the
Jesus-child of Atocha, Chango is St. Barbara and Oggún is, depending on the region and the
situation, St. Paul or St. Peter.
How did Christianism and "Regla de Ocha", a Yoruba religion from Nigeria, give rise to
Santeria? Why was it possible that the descendants of the European settlers and the
descendants of the African slaves adopt and practice the same religious rituals, the same
saints and the same belief. This is the miracle of the “sincretismo cubano”, which will be the
subject of our next article.
© Copyright – All rights reserved, intermedio, Yous & partner – November 2015
3