“Those who came to Oba Ernesto Pichardo’s fall semester course at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay campus expecting chicken heads, seashells and drum circles probably left disappointed. The controversial, charismatic and enterprising Pichardo, a Yoruba priest and the country’s leading expert on Santeria, spent hours talking about the transatlantic slave trade, paraded in cultural anthropology professors and expected both Powerpoint presentations and 12-page research papers at semester’s end.”

No doubt some would argue with whether Pichardo (head of the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye) is truly the “leading expert on Santeria” in America, but the story is very positive and is a nice change of pace from the “decapitated animals it must be Santeria” sensationalism one usually sees. It also hints at the fact that minority religions are slowly making their way into the traditional religion curriculum at Universities.

“Four months ago he concluded FIU’s first three-credit Santeria class, with a grand prediction: “You are making history here today.” “This is not some fringe movement,” Pichardo told his students. “If you can get a Ph.D. in Judaism or Christianity, you should at least be able to take a course in Santeria.” … Pichardo hopes his course will grow into a major.”

Certainly courses touching on modern Paganism have been popping up here and there, but like this Santeria course they aren’t tied into a major, and are usually electives. Considering the growth of religious minorities in America, it isn’t unheard of to someday see a Masters in Pagan Studies, or Doctorate in Afro-Cuban Faiths at some point in the future.
]]> http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/01/studying-santeria-in-school.html/feed 0 http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/santerias-popularity.html http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/santerias-popularity.html#comments Mon, 07 May 2007 16:05:00 +0000 Jason http://wildhunt.org/blog/2007/05/santerias-popularity.html Catherine Bremer, writing for Reuters, takes a look at the booming popularity of Santeria for tourists in Cuba.

“A babalawo, or priest, of Cuba’s ritual-filled Santeria religion, Castellano wears a gold chain and has a TV and a telephone that stand out from the animal skulls, pigeon blood, melted candle wax and feathers that litter his dingy home. Such modern accoutrements are testament to a flow of tourists that has made Santeria a lucrative business for some, bringing in foreign currency that makes the difference between a frugal lifestyle or relative wealth in communist-run Cuba.”

The vast majority of Cubans are Santeria followers, and the country has always been a place for tourists to seek advice or even initiation from a Santera or Babalawo. Its become so popular, and such a steady form of income in the poverty-stricken country that some worry the religion will “sell out” or be overrun by con-artists.

“…white-clad taxpaying babalawos are on a level with Cubans with permits to run book stores or drive taxis. And the ones working on the quiet make more than they would as cigar hawkers or tour guides. Many are among the few Cubans with access to a phone or e-mail. Still, like anything in life, when Santeria goes too commercial, it loses much of its magic. ‘Santeria is not a commercial thing. Everyone has to pay to be cleansed, but priests shouldn’t pester people for business,’ said Cuban anthropologist and Santeria expert Natalia Bolivar. ‘Foreigners have always come to see babalawos, because it’s fashionable or someone told them about it. There are unscrupulous people who take advantage of that. But truly religious people never would.’”

A political subtext here that goes unspoken is what will happen in post-Castro Cuba. Will America intervene at Castro’s death to forcefully democratize the country? If so, what kind of future can the people of Cuba expect? Will we see an even bigger influx of Cuban immigrants (and thus, a bigger influx of Santeria practitioners) in the turmoil that would follow? As Santeria becomes an every-growing religious movement in America, it should be interesting to see how we react. Is mainstream America ready for Lukumi/Santeria houses side by side with Muslim mosques and Christian Churches?

If the population of American adherents reaches 3 or 4 million (which isn’t that improbable) it could very well happen.
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