Jason Perra: Blog Post 3 - The Incredibly Diverse Architecture, Music, Dance, and Street Art of Cuba.

 The Incredibly Diverse Architecture, Music, Dance, and Street Art of Cuba.  

Art in Cuba is unusually diverse compared with the world at large, largely due to Cuban culture and the promotion of art and culture in Cuban schools and throughout Cuban history.  Architecture on the island, for example, is influenced by Moorish, Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Roman styles.  Due to the incredible diversity of influence, many architectural styles are visible on the island including colonial, neo-classical, baroque, art deco, art nouveau, and eclectic.  

Similarly to the diversity demonstrated in its buildings, structures, and monuments, Cuban music has likewise experienced an incredible diversity of influence from various European and African cultures.  Cuban music has developed so well due to its importance in Cuban society.  Cuba has an excellent music education system in its schools, which has been mandatory for all Cuban schoolchildren since the Revolution.  

One important style of Cuban music is Rumba, which originated from enslaved communities in Cuba in the mid-19th century and employs a variety of West African, Spanish, and Caribbean elements.  Rumba has made a full geographical round trip and has been exported from Cuba to influence West African music.  Rumba is traditionally performed by poor Afro-Cubans and portrays the culture of Cuba through its origin and diverse style and dance.  

As is Rumba, another important musical element of Cuban society is Buena Vista Social Club, a Cuban musical group that existed from 1996 until 2015.  It consisted of many Cuban performers from the post-Revolutionary period, many of whom came out of retirement to perform.  Their 1997 studio album became an international success and helped popularize Cuban music worldwide with two performances in Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall, New York City.  The Buena Vista Social Club originated with a literal Buenavista Social Club in Havana.  

Cuban art is incredibly diverse and prevalent in all levels and social classes of Cuban society and extends from traditional fine art to music, dance, architecture, and even street art.  One of my favorite Cuban artists is Yulier Rodriguez, better known by his alias Yulier P, a current street artist in Havana.  He is best known for his creations of absurdist street art in the form of stereotypical aliens with exaggeratedly large heads.  His art is not particularly political and thus has not yet generally been subject to the same restrictions from the Cuban government as the work of many other street artists has.  

While street art is generally well-accepted in Cuba, Wrinkles of the City: Havana, Cuba, a documentary about making street portraits of ordinary older citizens as if they were famous people, shows that there is some controversy, and some Cubans do oppose or erase even well-sone street art.  I thought this documentary was beautiful, as it created art that shows the ordinary people of Cuba and Cuban society to the city.  

Overall, the art of Cuba is among the most diverse in the world, as is Cuban culture.  I think it’s amazing to see how it can be displayed in architecture, dance, painting, music, or other forms.