Carnival and Ñáñiguismo
Carnival and Ñáñiguismo
Poetic Syncretism in Alejo Carpentier's “Juego santo”
The focus of this chapter—“Carnival and Ñáñiguismo: Poetic Syncretism in Alejo Carpentier's ‘Juego santo’”—is a little-studied poem by one of the earliest literary proponents of Afrocubanismo. This chapter begins with a brief exploration of Carpentier's decisive role as a founder of this artistic and cultural movement, but the focus is on the poem itself and, more specifically, its relationship to and evocation of Afro-Cuban carnival traditions. The chapter demonstrates how—in an act of poetic syncretism—Alejo Carpentier melds two public spectacles that had long been associated with Ñáñiguismo, or the Abakuá secret society: semi-public, sacred processions that were performed as part of ñáñigo initiation ceremonies, and carnivalesque “comparsas ñáñigas,” which first emerged during nineteenth-century Día de Reyes celebrations, and then eventually became integrated into traditional carnival festivities.
Keywords: Carnival, Ñáñiguismo, Alejo Carpentier, Juego santo, Afrocubanismo, cultural movement, Afro-Cuban carnival traditions
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