Carnival and National Identity in the Poetry of Afrocubanismo

Contents

Contents List of Illustrations xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction. Comparsas, Congas, and Chambelonas: Carnival and National Identity in Cuba 1 1. Felipe Pichardo Moya’s “La comparsa”: Afro-Cuban Carnival as Sinister Spectacle 25 2. Carnival and Ñáñiguismo: Poetic Syncretism in Alejo Carpentier’s “Juego santo” 49 3. Carnival and Afro-Cuban Ritual in Nicolás Guillén’s “Sensemayá: canto para matar una culebra” 79 4. “Comparsa habanera,” Emilio Ballagas’s Emblematic Contribution to Afrocubanismo 108 5. Drumming Up the Black Vote: Chambelonas and Cuban Electoral Politics in José Zacarías Tallet’s “Quintín Barahona” 140 6. “La conga prohibida”: Felix B. Caignet’s Response to Carnival Controversy in Santiago de Cuba 160 7. Representations of Afro-Cuban Carnival in Three Poems by Marcelino Arozarena 181 8. An Outsider on the Inside: Alfonso Camín’s “Carnaval en la Habana” 213 Epilogue. Carnival and Cultural Essence 253 Appendix. A Brief Anthology of Poems Inspired by Afro-Cuban Carnival 277 Notes 299 Works Cited 313 Index 327 ...