Afrocubanista poetry and Afro-Cuban performance

The Cuban afrocubanista poetic movement (1928-1938) was an attempt to promote an image of Cuban identity as a harmonious mixture of black and white cultural elements. This article explores the problems which the non-written nature of Afro-Cuban culture posed for these intellectuals in their endeavour to produce 'mulatto' poetry. It illustrates the various ways in which they overcame these problems in formally adapting elements from Afro-Cuban collective cultural practices. Finally, it evaluates the movement's success at producing 'mulatto' literary products which symbolized black and white cultural unity.