The Cuban priestesses defying religious patriarchy
Issued on: 07/10/2022 - 03:46
Modified: 07/10/2022 - 03:44
4 min
Havana (AFP) – First, they defied the male dominion over the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion by being secretly ordained. Then, they shocked the patriarchy by performing a ritual long considered the exclusive preserve of men.
Twenty years after first breaking the glass ceiling, Cuba's Santeria priestesses are still battling to claim their place.
The Santeria religion is hundreds of years old -- a mix of beliefs brought to Cuba by Yoruba slaves from West Africa, and Catholicism.
Experts say about 70 percent of Cubans are followers of Santeria.
The first priestesses in five centuries only appeared on the communist island in 2000, when Nidia Aguila de Leon, now 60, and Maria Cuesta, 51, were ordained in secret in Havana.
More:
https://www.rfi.fr/en/health-and-lifestyle/20221007-the-cuban-priestesses-defying-religious-patriarchy