Michal Baginski
Professor Francisco Soto, Ph.D
HON 121
April 2nd, 2018
Cuba 101: Culture and Immigration
Cubans are known for their beautiful culture of arts and music, with an influential history. This influential history led them to largely migrate to the United States, settling in mainly Florida and New York. Living in a new country they had to undergo many changes but brought along with them many of their Cuban cultures and traditions, leaving an influential imprint in American History as well.
Cuba is an island nation that is located on the northern rim of the Caribbean Sea, being the largest island in the Greater Antilles islands. Cuba’s capital is Havana, contains 20% of the country’s population. Cuban was first under English rule then traded to the Spanish for Florida. However, due to the Spanish-American War, the Spanish had withdrawn from the island in 1898, which was then followed by a three and a half years of US military rule until Cuba gained independence in 1902. Cuban was known as the “The Republic of Cuba” and it was ruled by a dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Cuba was seeing major economic growth but political corruption, which led to the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista by the 26th of July Movement. During this time America tried to remain in the “middle road” between Batista and Castro. However, on New Years Day of 1959, Fulgencio Batista flees the country in the face of the popular socialist revolution of Fidel Castro. Cuba has since been ruled as a socialist state under the Communist Party of Fidel Castro and his brothers. In the years that followed, the U.S. attitude toward the new revolutionary government would move from cautiously suspicious to downright hostile. Cuba had bad relations with the United States and remained isolated as a whole. Then in 2016, Cuba’s dictator Fidel Castro passed away which leads to a re-establishment of diplomatic relation.
For many decades, Cuban immigrants have held a preference in the US immigration law. This led to Cubans being among the top ten immigration populations in the United States since 1970 and seventh in 2016. Nearly 1.3 million Cubans lived in the United States in 2016. During the years of Fidel Castro’s Regime, large scale migration took place. There were 4 major waves of Cuban Migration. The First Wave was from 1959 to 1962. Their main motives were because of not being happy with the current political scene and fled to protect their assets. The Second Wave was during 1965-1974, was primarily for the workforce. United States and Cuban administrations created departure programs called ‘Freedom Flights”, which brought middle class and working class Cubans to the United States. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Cuban population in the United States grew almost six fold with just those decades, from 79,000 to 439,000! Over the years this number just continued to rise and rise. During the Third Wave in 1980 and Fourth Wave in 1989- 2009, Marielitos or boat lifts were created in order to escape the communist tyranny. During the time, Fidel Castro sent 20,000 Cubans directly from prisons and sent mentally ill people from Cuba mental institutions to “clean up” Cuba and “poison” the United States. Balseros or rafters even floated to Florida on man made boats.
Unlike other immigrant groups, Cubans were treated very well. In 1966, Congress passed the CAA or the Cuban Adjustment Act. This Act allowed cubans to be lawful permanent residents after being a resident for at least a year. Cubans prefered to migrate to mainly Florida however there are also populations in New York. Miami is responsible to 65% of the Cuban population, to the point the Cuban communities began calling it “Little Havana”. Towards the end of the 19th century, Cubans began to settle in Key West where they once built a railroad, and New Orleans, Louisiana, where they played an influential role in the jazz music New Orleans was known for.
Cubans have a very unique arts and culture. In Cuba there are many galleries and art museums that regularly display the works of painters. The National Museum of Fine Arts, and the Gallery of Havana are amongst the most known in Cuba. Artists such as Mariano Rodriguez, Servando Cabrera Moreno and Raul Martinez all are featured in these galleries. When Cubans began to migrate over to the United States, they influenced American art with Cuban art. Cuban art is very diverse, with a blend of African and European elements. Cuban art was dominated by classicism, surrealism, cubism and later modernism. A popular form of Cuban art was known as Naive Art by the North Americans. They showed childlike features and amatuerish qualites, almost cartoons. Colors tended to be vivid with vibrant hues of Cubans tropical home. Cubans used Naive art as a way to portray enjoyment of life despite its hardships. An New York Artist who uses similar style of art is known as Keith Haring. Keith was known for his creative cartoon art form, looking side by side with Cuban Art, looks very similar.
Cuban music blends Spanish and African qualities for a traditional but popular music. Cubans rumba, bolero and salsa were common dances for the culture. The Cuban folk anthem “Guantanamera” derives from a poem by Jose Marti is heard frequently in Latin America. Cubans grasped a hold on jazz music known as Afro-Cuban jazz. Cubans settling in Florida and New York introduced listeners to their own style, bringing influence to the jazz world.
Cubans very much admired theatre and film. In Cuba there were many national drama groups as well as provincial theatre groups. Cuban theatre reached a new maturity in the 80s when they turned their focus to social problems with integrating music and dance. Carmelita Tropicana is a well known Cuban actress and film director currently in New York spreading her Cuban flare and unique personality in the lower east side. She came to New York and began theatre in the lower east side, and ever since then she has a name for herself. She is known as a crazy beast, with two personas and a heavy sense of humor. Her stage name is Alina Troyano and she separates these two names with complete different personalities, sometimes even speaks about them as if they are not even her. She would normally perform and has many known films, plays and books. Her performance plays have been presented all over the world, like London, Berlin, Barcelona and New York and Los Angeles. Carmelita and her alter ego both give Cubans and their culture pride, to have such talent come from their country.
Cubans have a history of war and independence, however their culture and country have their own unique taste. With the drive of immigration to the United States and settling in parts of Florida and New York, Cuban immigrants brought along many cultural aspects. They left an influential mark on culture, art and music with their unique blends and styles seen nowhere else. Compared to other Latin American immigrant groups such as Dominicans and Puerto Ricans, Cubans were treated a lot more leniently and had many laws enacted in order to help them live much better than their Dictator, Communist country.
Works Cited
Portes, Alejandro, and Robert L. Bach. Latin Journey: Cuban and Mexican Immigrants in the United States. Berkeley: U of California Pr., 1985. Print.
“Carmelita Tropicana.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Mar. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmelita_Tropicana.
“Cuban Americans.” Countries and Their Cultures, www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cuban-Americans.html.
“Keith Haring: 20th Anniversary at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery CLOSES SATURDAY APRIL 3.” Manhattan Living, 28 Aug. 2017, www.glenwoodnyc.com/manhattan-living/keith-haring-20th-anniversary-closes/.
Knight, Franklin W., and Sandra H. Levinson. “Cuba.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Jan. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Cuba/Cultural-institutions.
