CubanaDanza Repertoire

Abakua

Abakua is a dance style that originated with the huge number of African slaves taken to Cuba against their will. These slaves comprised a large number of different ethnic groups later identified in Cuba by various names such as Lucumi, Congo, Arará, Mandinga, Gangá, Macuá and Carabali.

The sub-tribes within the Carabali have had a huge impact on the development of Cuban culture. Their male secret sects were steeped in legends entailing treason and pacts with other sects. It is these complex stories that the Carabali brought to Cuba together with the codes of their closed and solely male religious secret societies known as potencias often to be found in Cuban harbour or industrial areas today.

The Abakua íreme (little devil) must be guided with drums, singing, and bells, in order for it to dance. Each dance features the same type of music and includes sacred and magical recitals, ritual singing, and marches. The striking costumes comprise brightly coloured outfits fringed around the ankles, cuffs, neck, waist, and wrists. The dancer always wears a conical mask which completely covers his face and, most importantly, carries a short stick known as an Efi and a longer stick or spear called an Efó. These both represent the devil in different ways.