Central to the government-owned Palenque de Cimarrones restaurant is the replica of a nineteenth-century camp of runaway slaves. With bronze statues, one scene depicts a violent confrontation between an enslaver with his arm cocked, ready to crack his whip, and a cimarrón with his machete raised high, prepared to strike down his would-be captor. Just in case the decor proved too subtle, a sign posted at the entrance revealed the attraction’s transparently didactic purpose. Translated from Spanish, it reads, “In order to comprehend our origins, history and culture, it is necessary to go back to the distant epoch of Spanish colonization, with its phases of slavery and cimarronería. All this is the root of our nationality, values and beliefs.” Dining with cimarrones is ultimately a lesson for tourists in the orthodox interpretation of Cuban transculturation – that the master’s whip was subverted by its antithesis, the slave’s machete. By implication, the formerly enslaved and their descendents have apparently “won” the struggle for freedom. This government-sanctioned display of Cuban history, then, inspires visitors to unquestioningly accept Cuba as a “raceless” nation whose “values and beliefs” are, according to the constitution, safeguarded by the Communist Party. The fact that we are meant to be drinking cocktails and enjoying plates loaded with food only ensures confidence in that view. Viñales, Pinar del Río, June 2022.
Created by Guest Curator Arturo S. González, University of Miami.
