Stephen McKenney - The Intersection of Influence and Heritage
Although the term “melting pot” was first attributed to the population of the United States of America by Israel Zangwill, it is an apt description for the music and architecture of modern-day Cuba. The country’s culture is heavily influenced not only by the Spanish who settled the island, but by African and Creole peoples as well. In more recent decades, it has taken inspiration from Europe, the Americas, and Asia as well.
The oldest surviving buildings on Cuba’s soil reflect the colonial power that colonized the island. Military and religious institutions–like La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana and the Convento de Santa Clara, respectively–display the opulence of the Spanish empire at its height. These buildings were influenced by the architecture of the Moors, Greeks, and Romans. In the 1800s, neo-classicism became the prominent architectural style. During the 20th century, economic prosperity and increased international connections brought in even more outside influence. Eclecticism, art deco, bauhaus, brutalism, and modernism all became popular throughout the century, peppering the landscape of Havana with myriad colors and styles. It’s incredible to imagine what the city must have looked like during this golden age of architectural experimentation. Unfortunately, many of these structures were poorly constructed, especially those made of concrete. The concrete was mixed with sand from the beaches, which made it high in sodium. The sodium oxided the steel beams of the buildings, causing them to expand, cracking the concrete. Because of this, many of the buildings from Havana’s architectural boom now lie in disrepair.
Cuban music has been similarly affected by outside influences. Cuba’s national dance, danzon, which arose in the 1870s, was a combination of Spanish contradanza and African percussion elements. Danzon would later be evolved by Haitian charangas, mixing its cultural influences even further. Son, another incredibly popular genre of classic Cuban music, underwent a similar development to Danzon, this time combining African drums and Spanish guitar to make something wholly original. As son grew in popularity, it came to Havana and became urbanized, creating yet another layer of influence. Cuba is so diverse that even different regions of the island had significant influence over the development of musical genres. Many of the styles described, like son, began in Oriente before making their way to Havana and being changed by the urban culture. This is not to say that Cuba is simply defined by the influence of other nations. It certainly is not. In fact, Cuba music has been hugely influential on the world stage. In the first half of the 20th century, Cuban artists introduced rumba, mambo, and congo to the United States. Cuban influence was also instrumental in the development of Latin jazz and salsa (a combination of rumba and mambo) in New York City. Groups like the Buena Vista Social Club have played their music all across the world and have been the subject of eponymously named documentaries. After the Soviet Union fell, timba eclipsed the popularity of son, becoming Cuba’s primary dance music. In recent years, and to the chagrin of the Cuban government, rap and reggaeton have come into the limelight, taking influence from many different African-American groups across North and South America.
While Cuba’s “melting pot” nature is visible in many other aspects of its culture, it is best exemplified by the nation’s architecture and music. In both cases, what started as colonial Spanish influence combined with the cultures of Africa, the Americas, and Europe to create something completely unique. Cubans manage to take influence from cultures around the globe whilst staying true to their own heritage, an accomplishment that many countries could stand to learn something from.
This led me to consider a couple of questions:
1. At what point does a piece of art stop being an amalgamation of influences and start being something wholly original? What about a culture? Is it possible for anything to be truly original?
2. Why do you think rap and reggaeton aren’t approved by the revolutionary government, even though there is little history of musical censorship in Cuba?
The oldest surviving buildings on Cuba’s soil reflect the colonial power that colonized the island. Military and religious institutions–like La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana and the Convento de Santa Clara, respectively–display the opulence of the Spanish empire at its height. These buildings were influenced by the architecture of the Moors, Greeks, and Romans. In the 1800s, neo-classicism became the prominent architectural style. During the 20th century, economic prosperity and increased international connections brought in even more outside influence. Eclecticism, art deco, bauhaus, brutalism, and modernism all became popular throughout the century, peppering the landscape of Havana with myriad colors and styles. It’s incredible to imagine what the city must have looked like during this golden age of architectural experimentation. Unfortunately, many of these structures were poorly constructed, especially those made of concrete. The concrete was mixed with sand from the beaches, which made it high in sodium. The sodium oxided the steel beams of the buildings, causing them to expand, cracking the concrete. Because of this, many of the buildings from Havana’s architectural boom now lie in disrepair.
Cuban music has been similarly affected by outside influences. Cuba’s national dance, danzon, which arose in the 1870s, was a combination of Spanish contradanza and African percussion elements. Danzon would later be evolved by Haitian charangas, mixing its cultural influences even further. Son, another incredibly popular genre of classic Cuban music, underwent a similar development to Danzon, this time combining African drums and Spanish guitar to make something wholly original. As son grew in popularity, it came to Havana and became urbanized, creating yet another layer of influence. Cuba is so diverse that even different regions of the island had significant influence over the development of musical genres. Many of the styles described, like son, began in Oriente before making their way to Havana and being changed by the urban culture. This is not to say that Cuba is simply defined by the influence of other nations. It certainly is not. In fact, Cuba music has been hugely influential on the world stage. In the first half of the 20th century, Cuban artists introduced rumba, mambo, and congo to the United States. Cuban influence was also instrumental in the development of Latin jazz and salsa (a combination of rumba and mambo) in New York City. Groups like the Buena Vista Social Club have played their music all across the world and have been the subject of eponymously named documentaries. After the Soviet Union fell, timba eclipsed the popularity of son, becoming Cuba’s primary dance music. In recent years, and to the chagrin of the Cuban government, rap and reggaeton have come into the limelight, taking influence from many different African-American groups across North and South America.
While Cuba’s “melting pot” nature is visible in many other aspects of its culture, it is best exemplified by the nation’s architecture and music. In both cases, what started as colonial Spanish influence combined with the cultures of Africa, the Americas, and Europe to create something completely unique. Cubans manage to take influence from cultures around the globe whilst staying true to their own heritage, an accomplishment that many countries could stand to learn something from.
This led me to consider a couple of questions:
1. At what point does a piece of art stop being an amalgamation of influences and start being something wholly original? What about a culture? Is it possible for anything to be truly original?
2. Why do you think rap and reggaeton aren’t approved by the revolutionary government, even though there is little history of musical censorship in Cuba?
Great blog post and very thought-provoking questions! I think it is hard for something to be truly "original" as creativity stems from inspiration and memories. Artists find inspiration from all around them and use their own emotions and thoughts to create masterpieces. I like to think that the world of art is supportive, and that unless a song is covered or there is an explicit remodel of the same artwork, if an artist creates a new piece, it is original to them.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI like this analysis and agree with it! I certainly agree that it's quite unfortunate that many of Havana's concrete buildings are crumbling, and I likewise agree that the term "melting pot" describes Cuba quite well. As for your questions:
1. That's a great question! As with the biological process of evolution, I believe that the exact point in which the evolution of art or culture has made it a unique species and not simply a changed version of its ancestors is not well-defined, and can vary based on what in useful in a given context.
2. I don't know, but I can make some guesses. My best guess is that rap and reggaeton originated in minority communities, largely in the United States, and have been used as forms of political art by those groups. Perhaps the Cuban government doesn't like this for the same reasons they view other forms of politicized art as an inconvenience.
Jason, I love the evolution analogy as it relates to art. This is a very apt description of how art changes over time. As for your analysis of reggaeton and rap within Cuba, I mostly agree. Although reggaeton is said to have developed in Panama, rap from the United States has most definitely had an influence on it. I think that it is possible that Cuba censors these modern music genres in an attempt to limit western influence on their society in the form of art.
Delete1. I find this a very interesting question Stephen! If we go through countless countries histories and cultural makeup we find influences from so many parts of the world. But if we go back far enough in time I think we could perhaps find something totally original with no outside influence. Although everything made has had to have something influence it, whether that was what someone thought up themselves and turned it into something or if it from what another person showed them. Someone who studies Anthropology might have the answer to this question.
ReplyDelete2. Think about our own government for example, when rap was first becoming popular it was rap groups like Public Enemy Number One rapping in protest to white supremacy and institutional racism. Rap's roots are in poetry and in challenging thoughts just like a poem would do. Reggaeton can be linked to smoking weed, not sure if that is a relation since it is illegal there or perhaps it's something altogether different. If both Reggaeton and Rap have black roots than perhaps the government is against something that the ancestors of slaves and black cultures have helped create.