Reasons I fell in love with Cuba and the Afrocuban culture:

Reasons I fell in love with Cuba and the Afrocuban culture:

1. Complex yet simple
2. Syncretistic yet distinct
3. Ambiguous yet complete

Let's take a look at one of my favorite songs:  Conga Yambuba



 Here we can see a salsa version and an Afrocuban version of this song.  Let me use these two versions of this song to elaborate on exactly what I mean.

Complex yet simple

In the original version of this, the only instruments that are being played are drums and percussion.  Simple.  However, there are very complex rhythms being played, and the song being sang is completely off beat.  Next, to truly complete it, we can see that there is an accompanying dance, style of dress, and culture that is born from this song.  The call and response is intense, and the true meaning of the song is deeply hidden - on which I will elaborate more shortly.

So while on the surface most people may only see a couple of drums being played and people dancing, it is important to realize that the true beauty of this song comes out when it is played concisely, when the singer hits the right notes and the community responds, and the people dancing feel the music and make visual what the musicians would like to express.

Syncretistic yet distinct

Thanks to the slave trade, the most unique culture in the world was born, although heavily rooted in ancient traditions that somehow were preserved for centuries.  Here we can see two examples of the same song performed in two highly distinct ways, making them both right and neither wrong, just different and appealing to almost anybody depending on the version.  When I first arrived to Cuba, going back to my original point, I thought of it as an incredibly simple place, until I realized how complex the syncretism made it.  Let me elaborate:

Reading guidebooks, watching the travel channel, and looking at Cuba from the surface you would be lead to believe it is a Catholic country, just as the Spanish would have liked to believe after arriving.  However, if you dig a little beneath the surface, you will see that it is just a disguise for what the real religion is, which is Santeria.  Santeria was born from the syncretism of Catholicism and African traditions.  Today, what is practiced in Cuba is a true evolution and a blend of many traditions much more powerful than what is practiced in Africa, Spain, or anywhere else in the world today.

The words of this song in both examples are dedicated to a religion called Palo, which comes from the Congo.  The Afrocuban version is interesting because as the Muñequitos play it, it would be considered a guanguanco or rumba, but Palo has a completely different rhythm which many would argue should be only used for Palos songs.  The salsa version is very intriguing because many salseros would tell you that they love this song and have a blast dancing to it, but if they knew what it was dedicated to may be left in a complete state of shock.

Ambiguous yet complete

Let's be honest - many of us that are listening this song have never even considered the true meaning of it.  "Man, that sounds awesome" or "Cool" are things that might come to mind.  And it's true, it is very melodic and instills a certain since of meaning that we as  music fans don't need to investigate more.  We are satisfied because the complexity of such a simple song fulfills us and leaves us complete.

I have a theory that this type of music is so complex that the average person actually goes into overdrive when analyzing it and becomes subconsciously intimidated and therefor does not try to investigate in any more detail.  They are left satisfied by its ambiguity, and thus complete.

The Afrocuban culture is rich and has provided me with great joy.  I hope that you too will find happiness and be inspired to explore in more detail.