'Cane Talks: Masking the Virgin Mary: La Caridad del Cobre and Religion’s Resiliency in Cuba

“Masking the Virgin Mary: La Caridad del Cobre and Religion’s Resiliency in Cuba”
Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado
Professor of Religious Studies and Assistant Provost of Undergraduate Education
College of Arts and Sciences
Religious scholar Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado presents “Masking the Virgin Mary: La Caridad del Cobre and Religion’s Resiliency in Cuba,” revealing how the patron saint of Cuba, “La Caridad del Cobre,” has become a symbol of Cuba’s identity and exploring the complexity and resilience of the patron saint’s religious traditions.
The story of Cuba can be told by tracing the ways Catholicism and African religions have been marginalized, celebrated, and transformed. Religion has left its mark on the island despite centuries of strife and persecution. Perhaps no other religious symbol characterizes Cuban religion more than La Caridad del Cobre. Evoked in 19th-century struggles for independence, honored by Pope Benedict XVI and respected by communists, this patron saint of Cuba has become a symbol of the island’s identity and the complexity and resilience of its religious traditions.
Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado is professor of religious studies and assistant provost of undergraduate education at the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarship focuses on the religious expression of traditionally marginalized people, and she has completed extensive research on religious traditions in the Caribbean, Guatemala, and Cuba. She is a frequent presenter at academic conferences nationally and has written numerous books, including Created in God’s Image: An Introduction to Feminist Theological Anthropology and Afro-Cuban Theology: Race, Religion, and Identity.

[@carolwatson6309]

Well shared. Thank you for making connections for me

[@babydollssoapsnthingz8225]

La Caridad del Cobre is synchronized with the African Orisha Oshun 🍯 🌻 💛

[@babydollssoapsnthingz8225]

@BR00KLYN'$ BABY yes charity is apart of it. Which is why when I light 🕯️ her candle I present her with something. Constantly I give away not looking for things subconsciously. If I don't need something anymore or can't have it I pass it on

[@Alaskan-Armadillo]

I really liked this but it could have been much better. How does she start out by saying that it was founded by two indigenous men then switches over to talk about African slaves? I understand that Afro-Cuban culture also plays a role in Cuban theology but by ignoring the indigenous legacy on the island it completely turns a blind eye to it and enables the narrative that Cuba has no indigenous history or culture.