OGGUN an Eternal Presence

8/18/2019 OGGUN an Eternal Presence

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OGGUN: AN ETERNAL PRESENCE (1991, Cuba, 55 min.), directed by Gloria

Rolando; cinematography by Raúl Rodriguez and o!" #. $iera; edited by #el%in

&iaz; !ong! by 'ablo #ilane!; !inger! azaro Ro!! and $elipe l*on!o; *rocuban

!ong! interpreted by the +lorun+ Group, under the direction o* azaro Ro!!; -ith the

!pecial per*ormance o* Conuncto $olcl/rico 0acional de Cuba; -ith o!" indel2n(ggun), 3ere!a l*on!o (!hún), licia 4an (ya), orge &i!on (4hango), Regla

&iago (telia), 6o!%ani Cabrera (7oy). 8n 4pani!h and 6oruba -ith ngli!h !ubtitle!.

"When the Yoruba poured into Havana in the early nineteenth century, they found

harshness and bitter injustice, but they also found each other. Slowly, they replanted

the ways of a!h" in a new world, meeting to honor the ori!ha! and finding order and

hope in the breath of Olodumare."

::o!eph #. #urphy, Santera! frican Spirits in merica

hen eamining the horrendou! de%a!tation that -a! the *rican !la%e trade, it -ould

be a mi!ta6oruba miture.

8n the comple traditional !pirituali!m o* the 6oruba (inhabitant! o* -hat i! no-

0igeria -e!t o* the 0iger delta), lodumare i! the lmighty God, +-ner o* allde!tinie!.+ ?i! breath, the e!!ence o* being, i! incarnated in thi! -orld a! a!h", the

*orce o* !pirit. +!h" i! the blood o* co!mic li*e, the po-er o* lodumare to-ard li*e,

!trength, and righteou!ne!!+ (#urphy). 3he endle!! !tream o* a!h" i! pa!!ed on *rom

generation to generation, and allo-! the ance!tor!, ara orun (+people o* hea%en+) to

remain ali%e -ithin u!. 3he ance!tor! maintain the moral compa!! that allo-! u! to

*ind our bearing!.

Central to 6oruba religion i! the pantheon o* !piritual entitie!

acting upon iron. ?i! oppo!ite i! !hun. 'atron o* the cooling ri%er, !he bring! the

nurturing and li*e:gi%ing po-er o* -ater; a! the godde!! o* lo%e, !he can al!o cau!e

one to dro-n in her po-er. 3raditional 6oruba religion recognize! a! many a! 1,@AA

ori!ha!, though only a hand*ul ha%e attracted de%otee! in !ub!tantial number!.

8ncluded among them -ould be 4hango (thunder, *orce), rula>8*e (-i!dom, de!tiny,


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di%ination), ya (the -ind, death), batala (purity, !erenity, and clarity), !anyin (the

healer), and llegua (the me!!enger>tric

3hrough de%otion to indi%idual ori!ha!, human! can *ill them!el%e! -ith the healing,

enlightening, ordering principle! o* the ori!ha. &e%otee! (omo:ori!ha, +child o* the

ori!ha) become initiated into the -ay! o* their patron ori!ha, and through mu!ic anddance can be inhabited by the a!h" o* their ori!ha. 3he ori!ha are not eactly

immortal; they cannot li%e -ithout u!. 3heir ei!tence depend! upon the ongoing gi*t!

and nouri!hment that they recei%e *rom their human de%otee! (each ha! hi!>her

pre*erred gi*t!). **ering! -ill al-ay! include blood, deri%ed *rom the !-i*t, ritual

!acri*ice o* an animal (mo!t o*ten a chic


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-ay! o* the ori!ha!, became a genuine uni%er!al religiou! %i!ion in -hich a Catholic

!aint and a ucumi D6orubaE ori!ha -ere !een a! di**erent mani*e!tation! o* the !ame

!piritual entity+ (F1:F).

3hu!, in 4anter=a, ggun i! 4t. 'eter, or 4t. 4antiago; !hun i! a Caridad del Cobre,

CubaH! 7lac< Iirgin and 'atron 4aint; 4hango become! 4aint 7arbara (he di!gui!edhim!el* a! a -oman); ya i! 4t. Candelaria; !anyin i! o!eph; batala i! either e!u!

or #ecede!; llegua i! 4t. nthony o* 'adua, and rula>8*e i! 4t. $ranci!.

lthough con!idered a +lo-+ religion by the ruling elite in Cuba, 4anter=a did attract a

number o* non:*rican de%otee! during the year! be*ore Ca!tro, though mo!t !antera!

(de%otee!) and babala-o (high prie!t!) ha%e been o* *rican de!cent. 4anter=a ha!

generally been tolerated, and e%en encouraged, in Ca!troH! Cuba, in part becau!e the

traditionally di!en*ranchi!ed *ro:Cuban population ha! been one o* Ca!troH!

!tronge!t !upport ba!e!. hen -e hear about the per!i!tence o* Catholici!m in Cuba,

it i! *reJuently 4anter=a that i! really being practiced. 3hu!, many o* the Catholic!-ho !-armed around the 'ope during hi! recent %i!it -ere -earing the ornament! o*

their patron ori!ha along -ith their cruci*ie!.

ith the departure o* Cuban! *rom the i!land beginning in 1959, !anter=a ha! made it!

-ay to the B.4., -ith large number! o* de%otee! li%ing in #iami and the 0e- 6or<

area, but it ha! gradually been !preading among the *rican merican population.

8ncrea!ingly, de%otee! in thi! country are di!pen!ing -ith the Catholic element! o* the

religion and empha!izing the direct 6oruba root!.

Oggun! n #ternal $resence i! both an o%erture to !anter=a and an homage to it!de%otee!, particularly the -onder*ul a


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Cuba a ne- immediacy in hi! collaboration -ith contemporary Cuban mu!ician! !uch

a! !aophoni!t>compo!er ucia ?ergo and the Cuban:pop band #ezcla. ?e e%en

per*ormed -ith Carlo! 4antana in a 4an $ranci!co oint appearance in 19KF.+

3he *ilm open! -ith azaro Ro! recounting a patathe ri%er godde!! o* lo%e. 3he documentary pre!ent o* the teller di!!ol%e! into the

lo%ely, *lo-ing, timele!! pre!ent o* myth. 3hi! -ill occur throughout the *ilm, -ith

!trange, my!teriou! clo!e:up! o* !acred obect! lin

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OGGUN an Eternal Presence