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Christianity in Cuba: The Republic of Cuba comprises 4,195 islands, inlets and Cays, including the island of Cuba, which is the largest, and Isla de la Juventud. The country is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is situated east of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), south of both Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola (claimed by both Haiti and Dominican Republic), and north of Jamaica and Cayman Islands. The capital city is Havana, while the official language Spanish. The country has a human population of 11,089,511 representing three major ethnic groups, namely, White 64.1%, Mixed, 26.6% and Afro-Cuban, 9.3%. Christianity is the dominant faith at 60.66%, Atheism, 23.2%, folk religions, 17.6% and others, 0.3%.
Brief History
Cuba’s original inhabitants were the Coboney and Guanahattabey people. About a thousand years ago, the Tainos from Venezuela took over the main island of Cuba. In 1511, forces from Spain defeated the Tainos and claimed the island as a Spanish territory. The Spaniards forced many Taino people into slave labour. Consequently, most of the locals died from exhaustion and from diseases brought by the Europeans.
Hundreds of thousands of African slaves were then sent to Cuba, mainly to plant and harvest sugarcane. In 1898, American forces drove the Spaniards out of Cuba, and in 1902, the country attained independence. In 1959, communist revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro took control of the government and have been in power since then. The current President/Secretary General of the Cuban Communist Party is Miguel Diaz-Canel.
God’s Canvass
The main island, named Cuba, is the largest island in the Caribbean and the 17th largest island in the world. It consists mostly of flat to rolling plains apart from the Sierra Maestra Mountains in the southeast. With the entire Island lying south of the Tropic of Cancer, the local climate is tropical, moderated by the northeasterly trade winds that blow year-round. The climate affects the diversity of animals and plants in the country.
Fauna
Cuba is home to many unique animals, including birds, mammals and reptiles. Some of them are West Indian manatee, hutia, trogon, solenodon, ivory-billed woodpecker, parakeet and parula. The pictures below show some notable animals in the country.
Flora
Cuba boasts of coastal mangrove and wetlands, dry forest, scrubby pine forest, pockets of lowland rainforest, and desert-dry terrain supporting cacti. Some of the plant species in the country are presented below.
Beaches
Culture
Cuban culture is a vibrant mix of indigenous, African, and European influences. These are reflected in the country’s food, language, art, dressing and music. Cuban traditions are linked to Caribbean culture and celebrations, especially, festivals, dance and carnivals. Additionally, Cubans are famous for their hand-rolled cigars, and smoking cigars is considered a ritual.
Cuba Traditional Attire
Although traditional Western attire has been worn in Cuba for decades, the tropical climate lends itself well to casual, loose clothing. Latin styles like tiered ruffled skirts, exaggerated sleeves and brightly coloured, embroidered shirts have had their place in Cuban fashion. However, as the country struggled to exercise its independent spirit, Afro-Cuban influences like the African head wrap, or bandana, began to surface, creating an individualised look and a fusion of cultures that is uniquely Cuban.
Remnants of the fancy rumba-style dresses are more often worn today as costumes to entertain tourists. An average wardrobe in Cuba today is likely to consist of casual slacks or jeans, shorts, skirts (for women) and T-shirts or loose-fitting tops. Some notable traditional attires in the country are shown below.
Cuba Cuisines
Some Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish, Taino and African cooking. This results in a blend of several cultural influences. Some of the popular cuisines in the country are presented below.
Status of Christianity
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Cuba at 60.66%, with Roman Catholicism at 53.7% and Protestant 2.68%. The early days after Cuba’s communist revolution, the government implemented atheist policies aimed at eradicating all religions. Although the new Constitution of the country has acknowledged the importance of religions, and voided provisions that made atheism the state’s official ideology, there are still legal restrictions on evangelistic activity. The state has equally prevented Pentecostal churches from putting up structures, leading to the emergence of thousands of house churches.
The restriction on evangelism aligns with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, as its present “Pope” discourages members from evangelising people of other faith. The Catholic leader has asserted severally that all religions lead to God. As believers in Christ Jesus, we do not take instructions from the “Pope.” The Lord instructed us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The following prayer points are presented as guides to help us intercede for unsaved souls in the country.
Prayer Points
- Ask the Father to reveal Himself to Cubans who deny His existence.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit would remove the covering of darkness from the hearts and minds of all Cubans.
- Pray that the Father would draw all Cubans to Himself with a cord of love, using the President, Miguel Diaz-Canel as point of contact.
- Ask the Father to uproot all demonic principalities holding Cubans in captivity.
- Pray that God would remove blockades placed in their ears by satan and his demons to prevent them from hearing and understanding the gospel.
- Ask the Father to destroy faulty foundations laid in the lives of believers through false doctrines or errors, and lay new ones for them in Christ, the only sure Foundation.
- Pray that the Father would purge all believers of pollutions resulting from fraternising with followers of fake religions and witchcraft presented as “folk religion.”
- Ask God to open doors for believers to minister the truth in their spheres of influence.
- Pray that believers would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be living epistles that can be read by unbelievers around them.
Intercession Checklist
From the map presented in the text, select a town, city or region for focused prayer. Present the chosen geographical space to the Father and tell Him that you are claiming the souls of their people for Christ as His ambassador. The anchor Scriptures are 2 Corinthians 5:20; Psalm 2:8.
*****Some materials sourced from National Geographic Kids, https://www.nationalgeographic.com; Cuban American / History & Culture, https://study.com; How Cuban Traditions Work, https://people.howstuffworks.com; Politics and Religion in Cuba and Nicaragua, https://www.canopyforum.org; The Story Behind Cuba’s Great Awakening, https://HavenToday.org; Christianity in Cuba, https://en.wikipedia.org; Cuba, https://en.wikipedia.org.