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University Micrdfilms International 300 N. Z eeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8305327 Franklin, Lillian Cleamons THE IMAGE OF THE BLACK IN THE CUBAN THEATER: 1913- The Ohio State University Pk.D. 1982 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 THE IMAGE OF THE BLACK IN THE CUBAN THEATER: 1913-1965 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Lillian Cleamons Franklin, B.A., A.M. •a-**#**** The Ohio State University 1982 Reading Committee: Approved By Grinor Rojo Cynthia Steele AcTvislt Mary Ann Williams .rtmentTTji' ft om&nc e / Languages For Gary, a reservoir of strength and patience ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my Committee, Professors Rojo, Steele, and Williams, for their guidance and suggestions throughout the research and writing of this dissertation. I am deeply indebted to Professor Grinor Rojo, my dissertation and graduate studies advisor at Ohio State, without whose continued support this study would have been impossible. A special word of thanks goes to my family: my mother, who gave her time so that I could study; my uncle and aunt, whose moral support during these difficult years gave me the courage to go on; my brother and sister, whose personal achievements showed me that all things are pos­ sible; and my husband Gary, who always believed in me. Finally, my sincere gratitude goes to the many scholars of black literature, both past and present, whose investigations have provided me with invaluable information and the inspiration to complete this study. Outstanding among the many recent studies are: The Black Image in Latin American Literature, by Richard Jackson; Blacks in Hispanic Literature, edited by Miriam DeCosta; and Harlem, Haiti, and Havana, by Martha Cobb. VITA February 19» 1951••••••••• Born - Lincolnton, North Carolina 1972...................... B.A., College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio 1972-197 3 ................. Graduate College Fellow, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana 1973-197 ^ ................. Teaching Associate, Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana 197^...................... A.M., The University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana 1976-1980................. Teaching Associate , Department of Romance Languages, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION............................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................ iii VITA................................................... iv INTRODUCTION........................................... 1 PART I - PRE-REVOLUTIONARY CUBA....................... 22 CHAPTER I. The Origins: History and Culture in West Africa............................. 23 CHAPTER II. Slave Society in Cuba................... 32 CHAPTER III. Blacks in Pre-revolutionary Cuba........ 48 CHAPTER IV. Black Literature in Pre-revolutionary Cuba.................................... 72 PART II - POST-REVOLUTIONARY CUBA..................... 105 CHAPTER I. Post-revolutionary Cuba: No Fidelism Without Fidel........................... 106 CHAPTER II. Literature in Post-revolutionary Cuba... 128 PART III - TEXTUAL ANALYSES........................... 151 CHAPTER I. The Republican Cuban Theater............ 152 CHAPTER II. The Post-revolutionary Theater: Is it Kuntu? ................... 208 CONCLUSIONS............................................ 277 NOTES.................................................. 289 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................... 320 v INTRODUCTION Since the sixteenth century, black people have parti­ cipated in the history of Latin America. By means of the institution of slavery, blacks have constituted much of the region's labor force. Thus, in some areas, such as the economy, black participation has been significant. This study focuses on one area in which black presence and participation have been passive. In the area of imaginative literature, the black image has been principally in the hands of white artists, who have been allowed to define the terms in which the black sees himself and subsequently considers his own experience. These image makers, vis-a-vis European language and imagery, traditionally have held fallacious theories about blacks, whom they depicted as animals, with a sub-human mentality. Although these images are not accurate, they do reflect the low status of blacks in the Americas. Furthermore, they reflect the view held by society at large, a society with European roots, with respect to black people. We can conclude that literature does not develop in isolation from the cultural climate that directly or indirectly guides people's lives. In particular, literature mirrors and interprets the society that produces 1 2 it. Therefore, the fact that "blacks have not been the interpreters of their own experience means that the black image is bound to be problematic. Since the 1930s blacks worldwide have been engaged in literary activity, assuming personal responsibility for the preservation of black culture and the restoration of the black image. Such activity has seen the birth of Black Aesthetics, which serves primarily as a corrective measure — a means of helping black people understand their own life 1 experiences. Consequently, Black Aesthetics provides a system for isolating and evaluating the artistic works of black people which reflects the spacial character and 2 imperatives of the black experience. Beginning in the late 1800s early black critics, such as Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History; W. E. B. DuBois; and George W. Williams, first black member of the Ohio legislature and founder of African Studies in the United States; laid much of the groundwork for research in this area. Those who followed, including Yalaurez B. Spratlin and John Matheus, sought to present the black experience for a primarily white audience. These critics saw black literature as unique by virtue of its origins in black culture, a culture which is different from others due to the restrictions placed on its members because of their race. They further reasoned that this distinctness creates in its members psychological attitudes that are not charac­ teristic of the society as a whole.^ These writers recog­ nized that any analysis of black literature should include an adequate method not only of identifying, but also of analyzing the distinctive qualities of the literature, without losing sight of those universal themes and structures ii present within the work. Yet these scholars were keenly aware that any critical methodology is useless unless it is capable of helping men become better than what they are. In short, it must lead people to meaningful action, to the identification and pursuit of positive values which are articulated in terms of their experience and reality. This is one of the most important aspects of Black Aesthetics. Of the various genres of imaginative literature, the theater particularly lends itself to discussions of the black image. The theater is frequently called the most public of all arts, because of the relationship between the performance and the audience. Because of this special artistic relationship, theater serves as a vehicle for communication on a mass level, which further enables it to serve as an effective didactic instrument, capable of directing social change and reflecting public opinion. Such is the case with Santa Camila de la Habana Vie.ja, by Jose Ramon Brene. This play is an excellent