Identidades in English No 1, February 2014 | Page 65

The Letter that
Opens and Closes the Way

Religion

Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna
National Coordinator, Citizens’ Committee for Racial Integration
(CIR)
Havana, Cuba

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very January 1st, while those in hegemonic
power in Cuba shout to the four winds that the
Revolution will go on without stopping and is
in our Hearts, the spiritual world of Regla de Ocha Ifá,
or Santería, awakens with concern about how difficult
or prosperous the next year can be, depending on the
sign that marks that country’s destiny.
The most anticipated event for Cuban Nganga religious families is the announcement of the Letter of the
Year, a moral compass that guides the lives of Regla
de Ocha believers. It is by means of this magical-religious system that the island continues being a sacred
laguna that allows the Ifá criteria to be disseminated
around the world.
Havana, Mantanzas and Palmira (Cienfuegos) are like
Roman cathedrals, holy lands for those who practice
Santería. Ocha is a fundamental element of the island’s religious scene; it is everywhere. This magic is
performed not only in neighborhoods like Jesús Mar