Vanessa Bauza. Sun-Sentinel.
Posted July 1 2001
HAVANA · Santeria, the synthesis of West African rituals and Roman
Catholic saints, was shunned in Cuba for many years.
Today, however, a small group of AIDS activists is hoping to use its ancient
Yoruba traditions and legends to stop the spread of a modern-day disease.
Carlos Alejandro Diaz Martin, an HIV-positive santero and leader of the
group Afro Ashe, hopes to target other santeria devotees and priests, inform
them about AIDS prevention and teach them how they can pass that knowledge along
to their communities. Ashe refers to an empowering spiritual command literally
meaning "May it happen."
Diaz Martin said the santeria community attracts AIDS and HIV sufferers who
seek solace in its powerful and protective orishas or deities.
"I realized that many people who are infected come to this community
for faith, for help," he said. "Now, we are using religion to get our
message across."
Cuba has one of the lowest HIV infection rates in the world, in part because
of its controversial quarantine process, which many say violates civil
liberties. The island considers itself a leader in HIV-AIDS treatment in the
Third World. At a U.N. special session on AIDS last week, government officials
offered the services of 4,000 Cuban doctors to battle the disease in developing
countries.
In Cuba, AIDS activists have embarked on several education campaigns, from
discussion groups for gays to a mobile van that distributes pamphlets and
condoms. But Diaz Martin, 33, and other AIDS activists say santeria has long
been the religion of the underclasses, and most santeria followers, who still
come from poor communities, are less likely to have information about
prevention.
According to a 1996 study of sexual behavior on the island, those with no
religious beliefs and those who believed in santeria were found to be high-risk
groups for HIV and AIDS.
"It is a [community] which used to be marginalized and also one which
legitimizes machismo," said Manuel Hernandez, a social worker at the AIDS
Education Center in Havana.
Afro Ashe was founded in January and so far the reception has been mixed.
On a recent weekday, about eight santeros met with Diaz Martin at La Casa de
Africa, an African cultural center in Old Havana, to discuss AIDS-HIV
prevention. One of the barriers activists must conquer is the initial
defensiveness of the community.
"We explain the project and the first thing they say is, 'Why are you
focusing on us?'" said Iris Lugo Carro, a psychologist who works with Diaz
Martin.
Attendance has been small so far and Diaz Martin said he has often felt
disappointed, as though he is preaching to the choir.
"You have to have a lot of hope," he said. "It's been slow
for people to understand the importance of the project so they don't see it as
prejudice."
One of the legends Diaz Martin uses for AIDS and HIV education is the story
of Babalu-Aye, which is equated with St. Lazarus.
According to legend, Babalu-Aye was a promiscuous deity who was punished by
contracting a venereal disease. Diaz Martin said he and other santeros can use
the example of Babalu-Aye to teach safe sex and use of condoms.
When people decide to enter the santeria religion they are adopted by a
godmother or godfather who leads them through the initiation process and acts as
their spiritual adviser.
Santeria leaders often cast cowrie shells to predict a disciple's immediate
and long-term future. The shell is considered the mouth of the saint, and
believers take their prognostications very seriously.
Diaz Martin said this practice also can be used by godmothers and godfathers
to warn a believer about a risky lifestyle.
If nothing else, he hopes to teach fellow santeros to accept HIV-positive
people and AIDS sufferers in their communities and show them the understanding
he felt when he was diagnosed in 1999.
"I feel lucky that my religious family has had an open mind compared to
others," he said. "My godmother supported me emotionally. She said,
'Don't think we're going to isolate you. We can't lose faith.'"
Vanessa Bauzá can be reached at vmbauza1@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2001, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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