Cuban Color In Tourism And La Lucha Summary

The formation of social constructions through the dismal synthesis of race and color is defined by the ever-changing social hierarchy and the fixed behavior performed by distinct races. Because the notion of race acts upon a color continuum, there are set categories that are built from the complete subjection of blacks upwards to the dominance of whites. Within this continuum lie definite subcategories of ‘black’ and ‘white’. The paradox of the permanent yet ephemeral idea of race and color is further complicated with the static, yet changeable perception of one’s racial identity through behavior and social accomplishments. Anthropologist L. Kaifa Roland defines this process as whitening, or blanqueamiento, where anyone can advance up the …show more content…
Kaifa Roland further describes the methods of race and color through the experience of jineteros and luchadores in Cuba. Jineteros and luchadores are translated as ‘hustlers’ and ‘those who struggle’ (Roland, p. 53). Due to the Cuban government’s belief in maintaining socialist values through the separation of Cubans and tourists, jineteros and luchadores often find themselves restricted from the leisurely experiences that tourists experience. One Cuban insists that the reason all Cubans are denied entrance into hotels is because of the possibility of jineteros interacting with tourists, stating that “the only way to fight [the exportation of negative images] is to prohibit [all Cubans]” (Roland, p. 64). Because jineteros are perceived to give a negative image, all Cubans are restricted from tourist spaces. These spaces that are usually filled with power and leisure, and more importantly - whites. Meanwhile, the experience of luchadores echo that of one who struggles to make a living in Cuban society. One example of the luchadores’ struggle is the experience of a blue-eyed blonde dancer named Cari. Although she has white characteristics, she is a Cuban luchadora who is “allowed access to tourist locales in Cuba if she carried herself a spoke a certain way” (Roland p. 82). Cari is further described as wearing expensive clothes, possessing a slight Italian accent to her Spanish. Along with her skin color and dancing expertise, she had taken advantage of the race-color continuum, leveling herself higher than most Cubans with a unique struggle that was aided by her skin color and behavior. While the white tourists endlessly enjoy Cuban resources, it is the noticeably dark Cubans that are banned from aspects of their own society. If not banned, like Cari, they are forced to alter themselves to create an alternate experience as a