epub Ritual Configurations of the Ocha-Ifá Complex

This text is the result of years of dedicated work in this field and aims to provide more information about the diverse ritual configurations of the Ocha-Ifá complex, one of the most prevalent Cuban cultural practices of African descent, both nationally and internationally. This contextual space is where various musical and dance expressions, integral to Cuban culture, are showcased. It is my intention to build upon and expand the research findings presented in the book Las celebraciones rituales festivas de la Regla de Ocha (Balbuena, 2003).

The book is divided into six sections. The first, 'The Ocha-Ifá Complex: A Traditional Cuban magical-religious System,' introduces the reader to the origin, development, and consolidation of this cultural practice and classifies the types of celebration currently prevalent in the national territory. The second section, 'Ritual Configurations of the Ocha-Ifá Complex,' presents the religious manifestations that predominate in the festivals and their importance in the ritual configurations, the general structure of these configurations, and the common and different socio-religious and cultural expressions of these configurations.

The remaining four sections focus on the particular analysis of four ritual configurations of the Ocha-Ifá complex. The first two have been selected on the basis of their importance within the consecration processes of both these systems. The Presentation to the Drum in the Ocha System' and 'The Iyoryé: An approach to the Festive Ritual Context of the Ifá system.' The rest of the selected papers relate to two types of festive celebrations that have been little studied in this area: the Tambor de Guerra and the Cajón al Muerto.

For a better understanding of the text, a glossary has been included, containing a series of words and phrases belonging to the ritual language used in the religious practices of the Ocha-Ifá complex, with a strong Yoruba background, and some of the Regla de Palo Monte, of Kikongo origin. Tables, graphs, and photographs taken during the fieldwork have also been included in the different sections to facilitate the visualisation of the cultural facts studied.


Bárbara Balbuena Gutiérrez was born in Camagüey, Cuba on October 16, 1960. She earned her PhD in Art Sciences from the University of the Arts (ISA) in 2003 and a Diploma in Ethnology from the University of Havana and the Fernando Ortiz Foundation in 1998. Additionally, she received a degree in Dance Arts from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in 1991. From 2016 to 2022, she served as a Senior Researcher at the Cuban Institute of Anthropology and as a Professor at the University of the Arts from 1991 to 2016. Bárbara is also an accomplished author, with notable works including 'EI Íreme abakuá' (Pueblo y Educación, 1996), 'Las ceremonias rituales festivas en la Regla de Ocha' (CIDCC, 2003), 'El casino y la salsa en Cuba' (Letras Cubanas, 2003), 'Apuntes para la enseñanza de las danzas cubanas. Historia y metodología' (Cúpulas y Adagio, 2010), and 'Salsa y casino. De la cultura popular tradicional cubana' (Balletin Dance, 2010). Her contributions to performing arts criticism and socio-cultural anthropology have been featured in various Cuban and international publications, such as La Gaceta de Cuba, Tablas, La Jiribilla, Cúpulas, Danzar.cu, Todaladanza, A las Raíces, Caudales, Perfiles, Havatic, and 'Comparative Cultural Studies. European and Latin American Perspective'. She is a member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC).