The Issue of Race in Cuban Society Today: The Letter and Spirit 329
We cannot conclude this presentation about race in Cuban society
today, following its letter and spirit—a discourse and its voice,
together with its still latent thousand-year-old hopes and heritage—
without understanding other important elements of behavior and
ideas.
First of all, we should recognize the growing role of community
organizing as the cornerstone for the elimination of racism and social
discrimination in Cuba. Through education, recreation, and other
activities aimed at individuals and families in the streets and neighbor-
hoods, this reconnects us to the original national idea of creating a
free and equal nation.
Among the sociocultural projects with the greatest impact on com-
munities with a large percentage of black population we may mention,
as examples: Concha Mocoyu, La California (Havana); Música
folklórica Alfonso Iyaé, Taller de la conga y rumba charanguera
(Alfonso Iyaé Folkloric Music, Conga and Charanga Rumba Work-
shop-Bejucal); Templo de Oyá (Oya Temple, Havana); Visibilidad de
la Africanía (Visibility of African Elements, Trinidad); Cabildo Quis-
icuaba (Quisicuaba Town Hall, Havana); and Tras las huellas de los
ancestros africanos (After the Footsteps of African Ancestors,
“México” Sugar Mill, Matanzas).
The dynamic ideas emerging in Cuba about these problems and
their multiple institutional and territorial ramifications urgently
require a body of specialized knowledge about this topic as a specific
area of the social sciences.
This will contribute to an increasing understanding of procedures
to be implemented in specific situations, and will emphasize the
importance of family and school in the shaping of values, together
with political and patriotic education, as well as a technical and profes-
sional upgrading that will comprehensively and systematically contrib-
ute to overcome the present praxis of racial issues in Cuban society.
Part of the focus should be the sustained development of more
democratic educational and research projects which pay attention to