CULTURE
The Dominican culture and the Cuban culture share a lot of similarities with each other. For starters, both countries were primarily influenced by Spain; the influence was to such an extent that it?s the most obvious today. Both countries speak Spanish, hold many Spanish traditions alive, and have an air of Spain in the general ambiance of each. Most of the towns were developed with Spanish architecture and style.
But, both countries are not Spain, thanks to the input of other vibrant cultures as well. In addition to Spain, the native Tainos who inhabited the land for hundreds of years before Columbus landed also influenced both cultures. Many of the names of places, food, and building types are still present in both cultures. Many inhabitants of both countries show Taino traits in their physical appearances and both countries have more than enough evidence of Taino influences in their day to day existence.
Also, Africans had an impact in both countries. Initially both countries had rather small population of Africans and African slaves, compared to other non-Hispanic islands and territories in the region. The African culture was the strongest in Haiti and as such, the eastern sections of Cuba (especially the town of Santiago de Cuba) are more ?Africanized? than the rest of Cuba and the Dominican Republic has been influenced also from subsequent Haitian migration through the years.
In addition to those three main cultures that make up both countries, the United States also influenced heavily both countries. American influences are clearly visible in the development of former middle class suburbs of Havana and Cienfuegos and other towns in Cuba and the suburbs of Santo Domingo, all of which have a slight American appearance to them. The American most modern influences are stronger in the DR than Cuba, due to the DR?s embracement of capitalism and democracy, more so than Castro?s Cuba.
Both countries also have small but influential communities of Chinese and Jews. The Dominican Republic also received migrants from the Middle East and from Japan and Cuba received migrants from many other places including Russia.
ETHNICALLY
The Dominican Republic and Cuba have had extremely relaxed attitudes towards race. The Dominican Republic?s relax attitude towards race was present long before it was in Cuba or elsewhere, but during the rule of Trujillo (a mulatto), the question of race was further blurred, despite Trujillo?s ambition to ?whiten? the population. Trujillo never imposed an apartheid system of diving races, that?s a practice that was full in effect in the United States during Trujillo?s time. As a result from the lack of racial tensions, the Dominican Republic today is 75% mulatto, 10% black, and 16% white.
Cuba?s relax attitude towards race came during the reign of Castro. Before the revolution in 1959, Cuba was under direct influence from the United States and as a result, many places were segregated, especially in Havana. Whites had their own public bathrooms, schools, hotels, etc while black Cubans were given their own separate but less desirable equivalents. Cuba also had many white?s only neighborhoods and full force segregation. After Castro took control, he imposed an agenda of ?color blindness? and after 40 years of Castro rule, the Cubans are just as colorblind as or maybe even more so than Dominicans today. In Cuba, whites and blacks are so relaxed towards race, that for the first time in Cuban history, today whites don?t enjoy a majority in Cuba. Modern Cuba is 53% mulatto, 35% white, and only 12% black. That is a remarkable figure considering that in 1959, whites made up about the same percentage mulattos make today in Cuba. If Cuba retains its relax attitude among the races, the mulatto segment of its population can only be expected to grow into becoming another version of the DR in that sphere.
Thus, today Cuba and the Dominican Republic are the only two countries where mulattos make up a majority in the Western Hemisphere.
LOVE OF LIFE
Cubans and Dominicans are people who truly love life. Both cultures are highly festive. Both cultures bring joy to their life out of nothing and in spontaneity. Music is a feature of the landscape of both countries, with few areas not being infused by the soothing sounds of each island Afro-European influenced music. Art in both countries are also omnipresent in each of their territories. Although art expression is freer in the DR than in Cuba, both islands still share the same joy and sometimes even artistic styles.
OTHER ODD BALL SIMILARITIES
Other areas where Cubans and Dominicans share similarities, though these are less important would be in the following.
1. Power Outages: ?apagones? are frequent and a part of both cultures.
2. Diaspora in the US: both cultures have huge portion of their people living in the United States. Few people in both countries don?t have a family member or acquaintance in the United States.
3. Crazy about ?beisbol?: Both countries produce stellar baseball players and could very easily consider Baseball as a national obsession, if not religion!
4. Food: the food of Cuba and the Dominican Republic are practically the same. Few homes in both countries spend a full day without eating rice, meat, and beans and both countries are obsessed with ?un cafecito? several times a day.
5. Neat people: both countries heavily value neatness. In the Dominican Republic and Cuba, from the intellectuals to the most humble person, they all dress neatly and with dignity.
AN INTERESTING THOUGHT
Even though Cuba and the Dominican Republic have many similarities, there is one thing that is interesting to notice. It could be said that Cuba is what the Dominican Republic would have been under Communism, but most interesting is that the Dominican Republic is what Cuba was before the revolution.
Before the revolution, Havana was a major tourist destination. That city was chock full with Casinos, lavish shows, prostitutes, sprawling and substantial middle class and rich (despite severe poverty along its slums) and everything seem to be exciting and interesting.
It?s interesting to note that modern day Santo Domingo is similar to what Havana was in the past. Today, Santo Domingo is filled with Casinos, world class luxury Hotels; the city has mushroomed with shopping malls and high-rises. Santo Domingo has a substantial middle class and rich who live in sprawling modern neighborhoods. Unfortunately, Santo Domingo is also filled with prostitutes. Santo Domingo has also become a major tourist destination and it?s a city that embraces its past while moving towards the future in leaps and bounds, much how Havana was before the revolution.
Who knows, given the many similarities between the two countries and the ever pressing pressure for regional economic cooperation, maybe one day after Castro is out of the picture, maybe these two countries would unite. They are pretty much the same nation with two different labels, might as well join up. In addition to that, Dominicans and Cubans think of each as being alike, more so than any other two countries in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic gave birth to Maximo Gomez, a prominent man in Dominican and Cuban history. In fact, after Maximo Gomez along with Jose Marti helped gain Cuba?s independence (with help from the ?yankis? or Americans) Maximo Gomez (a Dominican) was offered the presidency of the new republic of Cuba. Maximo declined the offer, but he is viewed like a hero in both countries.
Maybe that?s what?s stored for the future of the Spanish Caribbean. A united Cuba and Dominican Republic would be ideal. Who knows, maybe if Puerto Rico decides to take a chance at self rule, maybe Puerto Rico might join since Puerto Ricans are not much different from either Cubans or Dominicans.
Who knows what the future holds, but the truth is that the present has some interesting propositions for a better tomorrow in the sunny Spanish Caribbean!
SOURCES AND INTERESTING READING
http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/dominrep.htm
http://ctp.iccas.miami.edu/FACTS_Web/Cuba Facts Issue 5 June 2004.htm
http://www.netssa.com/cubastats.html
(Notice: this is on PDF)
http://www.dec.org/pdf_docs/PNACP248.pdf
Issues that Cuba currently faces is what the following link discusses. Notice how easily a Dominican can identify him/herself in these issues which are also prevailant in the DR. Thus proves, Dominicans and Cubans are more alike than different. Enjoy.
http://www.angelfire.com/pr/red/cuba/cuba_anti_racism.htm
The Dominican culture and the Cuban culture share a lot of similarities with each other. For starters, both countries were primarily influenced by Spain; the influence was to such an extent that it?s the most obvious today. Both countries speak Spanish, hold many Spanish traditions alive, and have an air of Spain in the general ambiance of each. Most of the towns were developed with Spanish architecture and style.
But, both countries are not Spain, thanks to the input of other vibrant cultures as well. In addition to Spain, the native Tainos who inhabited the land for hundreds of years before Columbus landed also influenced both cultures. Many of the names of places, food, and building types are still present in both cultures. Many inhabitants of both countries show Taino traits in their physical appearances and both countries have more than enough evidence of Taino influences in their day to day existence.
Also, Africans had an impact in both countries. Initially both countries had rather small population of Africans and African slaves, compared to other non-Hispanic islands and territories in the region. The African culture was the strongest in Haiti and as such, the eastern sections of Cuba (especially the town of Santiago de Cuba) are more ?Africanized? than the rest of Cuba and the Dominican Republic has been influenced also from subsequent Haitian migration through the years.
In addition to those three main cultures that make up both countries, the United States also influenced heavily both countries. American influences are clearly visible in the development of former middle class suburbs of Havana and Cienfuegos and other towns in Cuba and the suburbs of Santo Domingo, all of which have a slight American appearance to them. The American most modern influences are stronger in the DR than Cuba, due to the DR?s embracement of capitalism and democracy, more so than Castro?s Cuba.
Both countries also have small but influential communities of Chinese and Jews. The Dominican Republic also received migrants from the Middle East and from Japan and Cuba received migrants from many other places including Russia.
ETHNICALLY
The Dominican Republic and Cuba have had extremely relaxed attitudes towards race. The Dominican Republic?s relax attitude towards race was present long before it was in Cuba or elsewhere, but during the rule of Trujillo (a mulatto), the question of race was further blurred, despite Trujillo?s ambition to ?whiten? the population. Trujillo never imposed an apartheid system of diving races, that?s a practice that was full in effect in the United States during Trujillo?s time. As a result from the lack of racial tensions, the Dominican Republic today is 75% mulatto, 10% black, and 16% white.
Cuba?s relax attitude towards race came during the reign of Castro. Before the revolution in 1959, Cuba was under direct influence from the United States and as a result, many places were segregated, especially in Havana. Whites had their own public bathrooms, schools, hotels, etc while black Cubans were given their own separate but less desirable equivalents. Cuba also had many white?s only neighborhoods and full force segregation. After Castro took control, he imposed an agenda of ?color blindness? and after 40 years of Castro rule, the Cubans are just as colorblind as or maybe even more so than Dominicans today. In Cuba, whites and blacks are so relaxed towards race, that for the first time in Cuban history, today whites don?t enjoy a majority in Cuba. Modern Cuba is 53% mulatto, 35% white, and only 12% black. That is a remarkable figure considering that in 1959, whites made up about the same percentage mulattos make today in Cuba. If Cuba retains its relax attitude among the races, the mulatto segment of its population can only be expected to grow into becoming another version of the DR in that sphere.
Thus, today Cuba and the Dominican Republic are the only two countries where mulattos make up a majority in the Western Hemisphere.
LOVE OF LIFE
Cubans and Dominicans are people who truly love life. Both cultures are highly festive. Both cultures bring joy to their life out of nothing and in spontaneity. Music is a feature of the landscape of both countries, with few areas not being infused by the soothing sounds of each island Afro-European influenced music. Art in both countries are also omnipresent in each of their territories. Although art expression is freer in the DR than in Cuba, both islands still share the same joy and sometimes even artistic styles.
OTHER ODD BALL SIMILARITIES
Other areas where Cubans and Dominicans share similarities, though these are less important would be in the following.
1. Power Outages: ?apagones? are frequent and a part of both cultures.
2. Diaspora in the US: both cultures have huge portion of their people living in the United States. Few people in both countries don?t have a family member or acquaintance in the United States.
3. Crazy about ?beisbol?: Both countries produce stellar baseball players and could very easily consider Baseball as a national obsession, if not religion!
4. Food: the food of Cuba and the Dominican Republic are practically the same. Few homes in both countries spend a full day without eating rice, meat, and beans and both countries are obsessed with ?un cafecito? several times a day.
5. Neat people: both countries heavily value neatness. In the Dominican Republic and Cuba, from the intellectuals to the most humble person, they all dress neatly and with dignity.
AN INTERESTING THOUGHT
Even though Cuba and the Dominican Republic have many similarities, there is one thing that is interesting to notice. It could be said that Cuba is what the Dominican Republic would have been under Communism, but most interesting is that the Dominican Republic is what Cuba was before the revolution.
Before the revolution, Havana was a major tourist destination. That city was chock full with Casinos, lavish shows, prostitutes, sprawling and substantial middle class and rich (despite severe poverty along its slums) and everything seem to be exciting and interesting.
It?s interesting to note that modern day Santo Domingo is similar to what Havana was in the past. Today, Santo Domingo is filled with Casinos, world class luxury Hotels; the city has mushroomed with shopping malls and high-rises. Santo Domingo has a substantial middle class and rich who live in sprawling modern neighborhoods. Unfortunately, Santo Domingo is also filled with prostitutes. Santo Domingo has also become a major tourist destination and it?s a city that embraces its past while moving towards the future in leaps and bounds, much how Havana was before the revolution.
Who knows, given the many similarities between the two countries and the ever pressing pressure for regional economic cooperation, maybe one day after Castro is out of the picture, maybe these two countries would unite. They are pretty much the same nation with two different labels, might as well join up. In addition to that, Dominicans and Cubans think of each as being alike, more so than any other two countries in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic gave birth to Maximo Gomez, a prominent man in Dominican and Cuban history. In fact, after Maximo Gomez along with Jose Marti helped gain Cuba?s independence (with help from the ?yankis? or Americans) Maximo Gomez (a Dominican) was offered the presidency of the new republic of Cuba. Maximo declined the offer, but he is viewed like a hero in both countries.
Maybe that?s what?s stored for the future of the Spanish Caribbean. A united Cuba and Dominican Republic would be ideal. Who knows, maybe if Puerto Rico decides to take a chance at self rule, maybe Puerto Rico might join since Puerto Ricans are not much different from either Cubans or Dominicans.
Who knows what the future holds, but the truth is that the present has some interesting propositions for a better tomorrow in the sunny Spanish Caribbean!
SOURCES AND INTERESTING READING
http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/dominrep.htm
http://ctp.iccas.miami.edu/FACTS_Web/Cuba Facts Issue 5 June 2004.htm
http://www.netssa.com/cubastats.html
(Notice: this is on PDF)
http://www.dec.org/pdf_docs/PNACP248.pdf
Issues that Cuba currently faces is what the following link discusses. Notice how easily a Dominican can identify him/herself in these issues which are also prevailant in the DR. Thus proves, Dominicans and Cubans are more alike than different. Enjoy.
http://www.angelfire.com/pr/red/cuba/cuba_anti_racism.htm
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