“DANCING TOMB FRENCH”: MEMORIES AND PATRIMONIALIZATION PROCESSES IN CUBA
Tombs French - Memories – Intangible Heritage – Slavery
The post-revolution Cuban government has invested in policies promoting the conservation and recovery of material and intangible heritage such as the Tombs French, an expression that combines the Afro-Cuban dance and music. These actions have enabled the valorization of the most diverse expressions, especially those that are the fruit of the African diaspora. This study explain about the impact of the patrimonialisation process and the cultural policies applied after the Revolution of 1959, in the memory and in the construction of the identities of the groups of Tombs French existing in Cuba. The research is focused on the three groups of Tombs French remaining in Cuba, located in the eastern part of the island in the states of Guantánamo (Pompadour Tomb French Society), Santiago de Cuba (Tomb French Society La Caridad del Oriente) and Holguin (Tomb French of Bejuco). The aim of this study is to analyze how the declaration of this expression was given as an intangible cultural heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, but above all, to what extent the memoirs of this dancers are aligned with the official memories built from this patrimonialisation process. The methodology used is based on ethnography, from the observations made in the various activities developed by the three groups studied, as well as through interviews that contemplate the memories of the families involved in this cultural expression. The analysis of the data presented in this first stage of research indicate the construction of new memories for this cultural expression, which will interfere in the way to remember slavery and in the identity of these groups.