Researcher to Discuss How Afro-Cuban Culture Impacts Theater and Artistic Expression

Nayeli Lomeli/Staff Writer

The arrival of African slaves to Caribbean shores in the 16th century caused a manifestation in new artistic and religious practices. Today, it is hard not to consider African influence when talking about Caribbean culture and way of being.

Jennifer Fernandez, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Modern Languages at FIU, will be visiting the Modesto Maidique Campus this Thursday to discuss her research on trance and acting in an event coordinated by the Cuban Research Institute (CRI).

“I will be exploring how trance and possession are used as methods for acting and to create the mise en scène,” she said.

The mise en scène is what is seen onscreen in a film and it is the arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage.

Fernandez will discuss how Afro-Cuban culture created a new and dramatic theater writing style, where ritual elements interfere with the course of the plot and the psychological development of the characters, as well as how these elements contribute to the creation of new approaches to acting and staging.

“Conducting this research will assist in placing Afro-Cuban ritual theater at the forefront of understanding Cuban culture,” she said.

Fernandez said that the strong Latino presence in the Miami community sets the ground for lectures like these.

“The study of our traditions helps us better understand where we come from and who we are,” she said.

For her, this event is an opportunity to share her research projects with students and experts in the field. She is currently studying how African traditions are deeply embedded in artistic expressions, such as the performing arts.

Jorge Duany, the director of the CRI, says Fernandez’s talk is included in the events that the CRI hosts to cover topics about Cuban history, politics, society and the arts.

“We hope to promote and disseminate the results of graduate student research on Cuba and its diaspora, particularly in the humanities and social sciences,” he said.

Fernandez believes this event is meant not only for those in areas of interest such as literature, anthropology, sociology, race and religion, but also for theater majors and the lovers of the performing arts in general.

The event, “From ‘Entertaining to Efficacy’: Trance and Mediumship as Methods of Stage Performance in Cuba,” will take place on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m. in the Steven and Dorothea Green Library, room 220.