336 Chapter 13
ognition, Afro-Cuban religious organizations indicated that they were
willing to mobilize themselves to protect their interests and rights.
Rafael Hernández has suggested that “Santería’s hierarchies and
modes of social organization are rooted in civil society itself...” and
contends that “if the associations and sites of worship of these popu-
lar religions were a breeding ground for political opposition, then the
stability of the system would be broadly placed in question.” (Hernán-
dez, 2003: 95) I suggest that this is precisely why Afro-Cuban religions
have been the target of state repression in Cuba. Referring to Afro-
Cuban religions’ informal networks for sharing information and social
life, Haroldo Dilla sees a potential for concern for the state, contend-
ing that Afro-Cuban religious groups “clearly possess a considerable
ability to mobilize people—an ability that is bound to increase in the
future.” (Dilla, 1999: 3) These kinds of analyses point to the promi-
nent (if seldom publicly acknowledged) place in the civic imagination
occupied by Afro-Cuban religious associations and networks.
A Gramscian approach characterized by a dialectical interaction
between society and hegemonic ideas that acknowledges the emanci-
patory potential of civil society suggests the possibility for an eventual
acceptance and incorporation of counter-hegemonic and contestatory
ideas, in this case, for Afro-Cuban religious practices within a socialist
state. The increased outward display of symbols of Afro-Cuban reli-
gions and the circumscribed encouragement of such displays on the
part of the government, if only for economic reasons linked to tour-
ism, indicates the potential for broader acceptance of these religious
practices. However, the question of the state's actions in response to
concerns about potential challenges from a strengthened Afro-Cuban
religious or cultural community explicitly raise the issue of power that
arises as a result, calling forth another element of Gramscian civil
society, that is, the coercive power of the state as exercised in concert
with the hegemonic structure.
Since the start of the Special Period in 1990, the practice of Afro-
Cuban religions has become both more visible and more widespread.