One of the many controversies surrounding the character of José Manuel Carbajal, a reggaeton player named Taiger, has been his visits to Cuba.
However, the artist continues to use his social networks to chronicle each of these trips to the island.
His most recent release hails from the Los Pocitos neighborhood of Marianao, a town with a strong attraction to the Abakuá religion.
Carvajal, who is currently touring Europe with his girlfriend Jany Mesa, has posted a video showing him walking the streets of this humble Havana community. “Akokan, culture of my beautiful Afro-Cuban country. What comes from the heart, there’s no head to stop it. The blessings of my brothers Efí & Efó,” said the singer on his Instagram account.
During the tour, El Taiger was guided by community residents, who stopped him for a greeting or a photo.
In the networks, the reactions of the artist’s supporters and critics were not long in coming. “Abakua too? Asere, you have to stop, you don’t know what to do anymore,” commented one netizen.
“This is my area, a super humble neighborhood with kind and correct people that the dictatorship has forgotten and left in poverty. “Home and Life,” said another user.
The Abakuás are an ancient secret society that originated in the Calabar region of present-day Nigeria in the 19th century and were later brought to Cuba by African slaves during the slave trade period. This society has had a significant impact on the country’s culture and has become an integral part of Afro-Cuban identity.
This society is divided into groups made up of men who follow strict rules. Their absolute leader is the Mokongo, who embodies the role of a great warrior. The Abakuás have their own sacred beliefs, rituals, music, and dances that are passed orally from generation to generation.
And although it is a private society, its influence extends beyond the borders of its members. Their music, dances and some ceremonies have left a deep mark on the island’s culture. Artists and musicians inside and outside of Antillean territory have incorporated elements of this religion into their works.
SPRING: newspapercubano.com