Between the 17th and 19th centuries, millions of Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic during the transatlantic slave trade, including significant numbers of Yoruba-speaking peoples from present-day southwestern Nigeria and neighbouring regions. In Cuba, descendants of these Africans became collectively known as Lucumí, an ethnonym identifying people of Yoruba origin.
Despite the brutality of slavery and plantation life, Yoruba captives and their descendants managed to preserve essential elements of their cultural, religious, and social life. Ethnic-based mutual aid societies, known as cabildos, provided a framework to maintain rituals, music, oral literature, and social structures, allowing Africans to sustain a sense of community and heritage even under oppressive conditions.
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Lucumí Religion and Cultural Continuities
The most visible legacy of Yoruba heritage in Cuba is the Lucumí religious tradition, also known as Santería or Regla de Ocha. This Afro-Cuban religion retains a clear Yoruba structural and cosmological base, though it has evolved through centuries of adaptation,
Key elements preserved include the worship of orishas, initiation rituals, divination through Ifá, sacred drumming, especially batá drums, ritual songs, and liturgical language derived from Yoruba, often called Lucumí or Anagó. Over time, under the influence of Spanish colonialism and contact with other African ethnic groups, the language evolved, losing tonal and dialectal features, and became primarily a ritual language.
Music and rhythm are central to Afro-Cuban ritual life. Drumming, chanting, and dance enable the transmission of cultural memory and reinforce communal bonds. These practices have persisted in private and communal settings despite centuries of social, political, and religious pressures.
Adaptation and Syncretism
Santería evolved in response to colonial conditions, blending Yoruba-derived religious elements with Catholicism, European cultural influences, and other African traditions. Catholic saints were often associated with specific orishas, a practice that allowed religious continuity under the pressures of forced conversion.
While maintaining Yoruba structures, Lucumí religious practices diverged from their West African origins. Syncretism and adaptation were essential to survival, resulting in a unique, island-specific religious identity. Scholars caution against viewing Lucumí purely as transplanted Yoruba religion, it is a transformed tradition shaped by the Cuban context and diaspora experience
Institutional Dynamics
Afro-Cuban religious life historically remained decentralised. Although some reports refer to groups like the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba, academic literature indicates that most Lucumí practice occurs in house-based communities, called casas de ocha or ilés, rather than formally recognised national institutions. These house networks preserve rituals, lineage knowledge, and community life, functioning independently without centralised governance.
Since the early 1990s, Cuban authorities have allowed more public expression of Afro-Cuban religions, reflecting a shift from state atheism to secular tolerance. Even so, formal centralised institutionalisation remains limited, practitioners continue to rely on family and community structures to transmit religious knowledge and preserve cultural identity.
Societal and Cultural Significance
The Lucumí tradition exemplifies cultural resilience and continuity. Despite centuries of displacement, slavery, and social marginalisation, Yoruba heritage survived and adapted through ritual, music, language, and communal solidarity. Afro-Cuban religious and cultural practices provide a tangible link to African ancestry, reinforcing identity and historical memory.
Lucumí culture also contributes to Cuba’s broader cultural landscape, influencing music genres such as rumba and son, enriching literature, and informing contemporary debates on identity and heritage. Its survival demonstrates the capacity of diasporic communities to maintain ancestral practices while navigating new social and political environments
Legacy Today
Today, the Lucumí religious tradition continues to be a vibrant component of Afro-Cuban culture. Its influence extends beyond religious practice to music, art, performance, and community life. Scholars note ongoing efforts among some practitioners to strengthen connections with Yoruba cultural and religious principles, while respecting the adaptations that centuries of Cuban life have introduced
The survival and evolution of the Lucumí tradition is a testament to cultural memory, adaptation, and resilience. It also serves as an example of how diaspora communities maintain links with ancestral homelands, creating cultural bridges across continents and generations.
The history of the Lucumí diaspora in Cuba highlights the enduring legacy of Yoruba heritage. Through religion, music, language, and social organisation, Afro-Cuban communities preserved their cultural identity despite slavery, colonial oppression, and centuries of marginalisation. Lucumí tradition exemplifies cultural adaptation and resilience, bridging West African heritage and Cuban identity.
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Author’s Note
This article underscores the importance of distinguishing documented history from oral tradition or anecdotal claims. While myths and legends enrich community memory, rigorous scholarship confirms the Lucumí tradition’s roots in Yoruba culture, its survival under slavery and colonialism, and its adaptation into a distinctive Afro-Cuban identity. Recognising these historical realities honours the resilience and creativity of Afro-Cuban communities
References:
- Baby‑Ramírez, Y., Gutiérrez‑Gómez, E., Janampa‑Patilla, H., & Munaris‑Parco, S. B., Sociocultural Context of the Yoruba Religion in Cuba: Cultural Legacy of the Transculturation Process, Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, 24(1), 2025
- Cuervo Hewitt, J., Ifá: Yoruba and Lucumí Oracle, Cuba, Cuban Studies, 13(1), 1983
- Lovejoy, H. B., Lucumí, Terranova and the Origins of the Yoruba Nation, Journal of African History, 56(1), 2015
- Ramos, M., Lucumí (Yoruba) Culture in Cuba: A Reevaluation (1830s–1940s), FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2013
- Afro-Cuban Identities: Yoruba, Cabildos, and the Origins of Santería, The Cuban History
