Performing the Mulata, Performing Mulatas
Performing the Mulata, Performing Mulatas
From the Colony to the Republic
Chapter II explores the development of forms of Afro-Cuban spirituality and religion, conflating Catholic saints with Yorbuban deities as the entry point to a discussion of formal and informal performative practices: house dances and popular theatrical performance. The chapter provides an extended discussion of women’s’ lives in nineteenth century Cuba. Within the highly restricted and coded social life of colonial Cuba, paradoxical liberties were enjoyed and folded into the narrative of the proto-nation. White women were (supposedly) secluded and invisible, and women of color moved around freely in the streets and were highly visible, but socially invisible; yet both were “seen” as well as performed. These real-life practices engaged with tropic or stereotypical identities that were not only depicted on marquillas among other forms of imagery, but also activated through dance, popular theatrical forms and prostitution. In this chapter, the convergence or intersection between lived life and its representations is parsed.
Keywords: Religion, Dance, Gender, Prostitution
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