Blog 2 - The Vibrant Island
Art, Music & Dance
The Cuban art scene is one that includes the deep cultural heritage of its history and people. Cuban artistic culture combines blends of African and indigenous elements with latin influence. It also has some colonial influence and elements of Christianity in some examples. The result is a very vibrant, expressive and outspoken style of art. In the early 20th century, the Vanguardia movement headed by artists like Wilfredo Lam, blended modernist techniques with Afro-Cuban symbolism. After Castro took power in 1959, art started to reflect the revolutionary ideals of the new government. Castro and the socialist government poured resources into art schools and museums for the people. Like the art scene, music and dance are also staples of Cuban culture. Danzon is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba. It evolved from the Cuban contradanza or “Havana Dance”. Other popular genres include rumba, conga, and musica campensina (music of the countryside). Cuba is also home to the largest ballet school in the world.
Cuba has always had a close relationship with its artistic side and it continues to evolve to this very day. As it continues to evolve, the government has taken certain steps to ensure the artistic expression of the people does not include anything negative about the government or Cuban society. In 2018, Cuba passed Decree 349, which essentially bans any art that is critical of the government or against the status quo.
1) Was there any catalyst that caused Decree 349 to be imposed?
2) Is physical art, music or dance the most prominent artistic way of expression in Cuba?
I'm not entirely sure if there was anything specifically that caused Decree 349 to go into effect. I think the main thing behind it, is that the Cuban government needs to protect itself from ideologies that may swim upstream, so to speak. The idea is to shut down any opposition, in any manner. Because art is such a large part of the Cuban way of life, it makes itself a prime target for censoring.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if there is a most prominent artistic way of expression in Cuba. If there is, I feel like physical/visual art would certainly be high on the list. From what I know, visual art is literally all over the place in Cuba from the streets, to museums, to murals, to shops and markets, etc. There isn't a place where you would have a hard time finding something to look at. Of course, this isn't to discount music and dance, but not everyone can play an instrument, sing or dance. But everyone can put their thoughts down on paper in a manner that is consistent with the visual arts.
I believe that music and dance are the most prominent way of physical expression in Cuba. The two go hand in hand. Like many in many Latin American cultures they are inseparable in Cuba. If you have music, you need to dance, and you can't dance without music.
ReplyDeleteThe sheer amount of genres that have come out of Cuba is incredible. You mentioned Danzon, Rumba, and Conga, but let's not forget about Salsa! Salsa was first invented in Cuba, named after a song called "échale salsita" ("sprinkle a little sauce" in english), and is by far the most popular Latin dance style to this day. That is why I say Cuban music/dance have been the most prominent artistic movements for the nation.