Ethnologist-Anthropologist Lydia Cabrera was a leading authority on Afro-Cuban culture and religion. Her field research and the numerous years she spent studying have taught us much of what we presently know about Afro-Cuban culture.
Cabrera was born in Havana Cuba on May 20th, 1899. She was home schooled by tutors because of illness, and eventually earned her baccalaureate degree. Her interest in Afro-Cuban culture comes from her father Raimundo Cabrera, and her older sister Emma, who she greatly looked up to. In 1927, Cabrera moved to Paris after taking an interest in painting and graduated from L'Ecole du Louvre in 1930. Cabrera stayed in Paris until 1938 at which time she took a greater interest in culture and religion and moved back to Cuba. Upon returning to Cuba, Cabrera began to write books and literary works on Afro-Cuban culture (Gutierrez).
Cabrera dedicated much of her life to studying and understanding Afro-Cuban culture and religion and "She created the Negro's identity and his incorporation into the Cuban national culture as an important and integral part of it (University of Waterloo). Her short stories talk about African Mythology and the relationship of nature and humans (University of Waterloo). Cabrera has written over 100 literary works and has received many doctorate degrees, one of which came from the University of Miami. Upon Lydia Cabrera's death in September 1999, all of her research was given to the Otto G. Richter Library and is currently being held at the Cuban Heritage Museum at the University of Miami (University of Miami). Some of her publications are:
El Monte, 1993
Cuentos Negros DeCuba, 1989
Anago, 1986
La sociedad secreta abakua, 1970
Refranes de negros viejos, 1970
References:
Gutierrez, Mariela. Lydia Goatherd ( 1899-1999 ): Summarizing in the dawn of its centenary Havana Elegant.
http://www.habanaelegante.com/Summer99/Bustos.htm translation page. 28 Feb. 2003
"The life and Times of Lydia Cabrera: An Interview with Mariela A.Gutierrez"
University of Waterloo. http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/gutierrez.html
Lydia Cabrera University of Miami. ( March 2000)
www.library.miami.edu/umcuban/cabrera/biography.html 28 Feb. 2003
Written by: Renee Nelson
Edited by: Lillian Dolentz, 2009
