The Arab Community of Cuba and their Impact
By: Christian Jimenez/Arab America Contributing Writer
Cuba has long been an island of fascinating history and culture with many people from every background, and this is no different for the Arab community who is also present on this island in the Caribbean. They have made their presence known through their architecture, culture, religion, business, and even foreign relations. This article will take a closer look at the impact that Arabs have had on Cuban society.
The Creation of the First Arab-Cuban Organizations
By Wikipedia.org
The formation of Arabic organizations and institutions in Cuba would eventually start in the early 20th century. The reason for this was due to the many thousands of immigrants that entered Cuba after WW1 and the handover of the Levant from the Ottomans to the Europeans. Once they landed in Cuba, many Arabs felt lost in a whole new environment which encouraged them to build organizations for themselves, with the most notable place for these organizations being in Havana. According to Aramco World, once they migrated into Havana and other Cuban cities, the Arab immigrants started to create organizations for themselves called societies. Soon, there would be societies for Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian populations that started forming at the end of the 1910s and during the 1920s. These different societies and groups soon attracted other Arabs such as Yemenis, Tunisians, and Algerians, as well as non-Arabs such as Turks. The reason for these Arabs and non-Arabs joining was that these immigrants needed to find somewhere they could fit in, and since they didn’t have societies of their own, they decided to join those Arab societies already established. All of these different societies and organizations then led to the creation of the first united Arab union in 1938.
However, this Arab Union of Cuba closed down in 1971, but then came back only eight years later as many Arab countries helped the Union to reopen and it has remained open ever since then. Today, the Arab Union of Cuba has helped in hosting dances and weddings, organizing Arabic classes, and serving as a communal center for many the many different types of cultural events for the Arab Cuban community. Along with these Arabic institutions and organizations, there were also Arab businesses. Most Arabs who came to Havana concentrated in the area of Calle Monte, forming the center of Arab culture and business in the city according to arcgis.com. One famous Arab-Cuban businessman was Gabriel M. Maluf and he was so successful to the point that he was mentioned in a famous Cuban magazine at the time, El Figaro. Today Cuban Arab heritage is promoted by both the Arab Union of Cuba and the House of Arabs, which is an ethnographic museum in the renovated La Habana Vieja district of Havana according to The Arab Weekly.
Another interesting fact about this modern population of Arabs was their religion. Although there were some Muslim Arabs who migrated to the island, the majority were Christian Arabs, and a good deal of these Christian Arabs were Maronite Christians from Lebanon. This has resulted in Cuban Maronite and other churches being built to serve as gathering places for these religious communities according to arcgis.com. This promotion of Arab Cuban culture and their presence may have also impacted other aspects of the country such as their foreign relations.
Impacts of Cuba’s Arab Community in Modern Times
Along with the migration of Arabs into Cuba and the promotion of their distinct culture across the island, Cuba has also had a history of interesting relations with the Arab countries of the Middle East. The most interesting part of Cuba’s relations with the Arab World is its support for Palestine compared to other Latin American nations. According to The Arab Weekly, the nation of Cuba was the only country in Latin America to vote against the partition plan for Palestine in 1947. Ever since the vote against partition, Cuba has had close ties with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and has always supported the Palestinian side of the conflict. This support for the Palestinian cause is most likely influenced by the many Arab Cubans in the country who have Palestinian heritage. These groups have been able to organize resistance to Israel through previously mentioned institutions such as the Arab Union of Cuba where, Alfredo Deriche Gutierrez, the founder of its rebirth in 1979, has championed Palestinian causes. Due to his work, Mr. Gutierrez was banned by Israel from visiting Palestine, the homeland of his father. Thanks to the influence of Arab Cubans and the Arab Union, Cuba is among the few countries, along with a majority of Arab and Islamic nations, that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel. The last time Cuba did have relations with Israel was in 1973. In part, because of their agreement in support of Palestine, and their close relations during the time of the Cold War, Cuba has also maintained good ties with other countries in the Arab World. Cuba has offered assistance to some of these other countries, like Algeria, where during the 70s they sent doctors and military trainers to Algeria and the wider Arab region.
In summary, the island of Cuba is a land of diversity with Taíno, Spanish, and African influences, and many different ethnic groups derived from all three as well as even Chinese Cubans. However, Arab Cubans have also had a story of their own and form part of the long and complex history of the island as they left a mark on the island’s relations, churches, businesses, and the overall culture of the nation of Cuba.
Check out Arab America’s blog here!
