Fifteen Eighty Four

I have been writing about Cuban music and popular culture for some time, as an outsider. It is a fraught position: being based in the United States, strongly attracted to Cuban heritage, trying to undertake rigorous research and pursue sensitive topics while frequently being perceived as someone who may have an ax to grind as regards Cuba or who may be unnecessarily critical of the country because the U.S. government tends to be. It can be hard to develop trust with local performers or cultural figures for that reason. Racial dynamics surrounding Cuban culture add yet another layer of complication to such work; as a white American I try to tread carefully when discussing racial readings of Cuban music, both because Caribbean understandings of race differ from those in the U.S. and because I have no firsthand experience being part of a racial minority or making music from that perspective. Even so, I find that as an outsider I can sometimes offer useful insights into local racial discourse, in part because my perspective is different. Finally, as someone not directly involved in any Black Caribbean religions I have avoided writing about devotional music, since practitioners themselves have many unique understandings of that repertoire I may never share.

^{Members of the Violines Abilio ensemble. They include director and lead violinist Abilio Betancourt Vejerano (left), second violinist Eduar Marzán Betancourt (center), and guitarist/lead vocalist and percussionist Cecilio Arozarena (right). The performance was filmed by  Melena Francis Valdés in Nuevo Vedado, Cuba, 24 April 2022.}

Given all this, you might be surprised to hear that I recently published a manuscript discussing a form of Black devotional music called a violín or toque de violín. Initially I didn’t plan to write a book on the topic, I was just fascinated by the fact that a Black Creole religious tradition existed that foregrounded the violin and that included a wide variety of repertoire (including classical concert pieces and popular songs!) as well as instruments (guitar, bongo, electric keyboard, the violin itself) that had nothing to do with more traditional Black religious expression. Most of my previous experience with sacred music involved Regla de Ocha drumming, dance, and praise songs. I couldn’t imagine how pop repertoire or instruments could possibly be used in praise of the orishas, and I was confused by the fact that violines tended not to lead to mounting by orishas. Additionally, I knew very little about Cuban Spiritism and the large body of song linked to communication with spirit guides, especially African ancestors, that features prominently in many violines.

^{A violín organized by Nadia Milad Issa and her madrina, Natividad de la Cruz Chivas “Oñí Odé,” in May of 2023. The featured performers include Ubaldo Machado Valdés (percussionist, far right in the white cap), Omar Nilo González Álvarez (violin, bottom left), Judith Caridad Deulofeu Suárez (violin), and Raúl Alejandro Montane Salgado (guitar).}

The study of violines has taught me a great deal, and if you have an interest in Black Caribbean religions it may well prove to be an enlightening topic for you as well. The practice is widely popular in Cuba and its diaspora as well as in Venezuela, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere. Interestingly, it has critics and does not appeal to everyone; some believe its open embrace of new influences to be inappropriate, too much of a break with earlier practice. I describe violines as a relatively open space of devotional expression in which the music of orthodox Catholicism, folk Catholicism, Spiritism, Ocha, Palo, and other sources combines into a seamless whole and dialogues with secular music. As a musical offering or gift to multiple aspects of the spirit world and as a practice relatively unrestrained by traditional dogma or guidelines, violines provide unique insights into the spiritual orientation of individual worshippers and into the multifaceted nature of Black religious life in 21^st-century Cuba. I would love to share the results of my research with you and hope you are able to read some of the new book!