On the eve of the Pope’s visit to Cuba, a look at the most widely practicedreligion on the island — it’s not Catholicism, it’s Santeria. Born amongthe West African Yoruban people who were taken to Cuba as slaves betweenthe 16th and 19th centuries, Santeria — which means “veneration of thesaints” — fuses African myths with Catholic saints.

Guests:

• Carmen Gonzales, has co-authored, with Natalia Bolivar, 4 books on Santeria,including ??Afro-Cuban Cuisine: Myths and Legends and ??Death, Myths, andLegends. Gonzales worked for the Cuban foreign ministry, and the Centerfor Africa and the Middle East.

Related Links:

• Yahoo! links on Santeria
• Supreme Court Ruling on Santeria Animal Sacrifices
• Washington Office on Latin America
• Radio Habana Cuba
• The Republic of Cuba–National Web Site
• 1/16/98 Democracy Now!–“Economy in Cuba”
• 1/15/98 Democracy Now!–“Young Prostitutes in Cuba”
• 1/14/98 Democracy Now!–“Cuban Reigious Leaders”
• 1/13/98 Democracy Now!–”AIDS in Cuba”
• 1/12/98 Democracy Now!–“Cuba Conversations–Arnaldo Coro Antich”
• 1/9/98 Democracy Now!–“Women In Cuba”
• 1/8/98 Democracy Now!–“Evoving Revolutionary”
• 1/7/98 Democracy Now!–“Cuba’s Revolution and the Lives it Changed”
• 1/6/98 Democracy Now!–“Interviews from Cuba (Part II)”
• 1/5/98 Democracy Now!–“Interviews from Cuba (Part I)”
• 11/20/97 Pacifica Network News–“Bombs in Havana”
• 11/19/97 Pacifica Network News–“Pentagon Planned Crisis To Blame On Castro”
• 10/17/97 Pacifica Network News–“The Mythical Che Guevara”