[poli]

Santaría, Voodoo,Candomblé are religions based on African belief. Creole society in Cuba Brazil and Haiti tried to break the spirit of the slaves, but the slaves maintained their Yoruba beliefs and chants which morphed into
Charanga and later Salsa music. The music Desi played with the canga drums and bongos is a watered down version of African religious chants. Sometimes Catholic saints secretly represented African gods (Santa Barbara). Babalu aye, Yemaya, Ochun,Changó are other West African deities. These deities are part of daily life for many Cubans and people other Latin American nations. If you're interested finding out more in a colorful and easy-to-take manner, I suggest renting the movie "Black Orpheus". It's in Portuguese, filmed in Rio during carneval. It is full of beautiful music, humor, color and tragedy. Additionally Candomblé is presented with respect.