Arab Cubans

Last updated
Arab Cubans
Árabes Cubanos
Memorial to the Arab Immigrants.jpg
Memorial to the Arab Immigrants
Total population
1,000,000
Regions with significant populations
Havana, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba
Languages
Cuban Spanish, Arabic
Religion
Majority Christianity, Minority Islam
Related ethnic groups
Arabs, Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians

Arab Cubans refers to Arab immigrants and their descendants in Cuba and the Cuban diaspora. Most of Cuba's Arab community come from Syrian, Lebanese or Palestinian backgrounds. [1]

Contents

History

While Arabic culture first came to Cuba through Spanish colonization, namely in the architecture and language, the Arab communities migrated to the island in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. Many of the immigrants were economically motivated, but other elements including civil unrest and famine resulted in the emigration from their home countries. Most Arabs settled in Havana, with a significant number in Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, where they began establishing their businesses and institutions. [1]

Church of San Judas Y San Nicolas de Bari Iglesia de San Judas y San Nicolas.png
Church of San Judas Y San Nicolás de Bari

The neighborhood today known as Los Sitios, near Centro Habana and Habana Vieja, was home to nearly 25% of Cuba's Arab community during the migration periods of the early twentieth century. The Church of San Judas y San Nicolás near Calle Monte was a base for the Arab Maronite Catholic community in Havana during the early 20th century and is in continued operation until today.

Estimating the religious composition of Arab Cubans is difficult because of a lack of records. However, the Embassy of Lebanon last conducted a census on Lebanese descendants in Cuba in 1951. Most of the Lebanese-Arabs practiced the Maronite Catholic faith, while many adhered to other faiths including Orthodox Christian, Sunni Muslim, and Shia Muslim. [1]

Arabic and Arab-centered newspapers existed in Cuba up until the 1970s, such as El Cercano Oriente (The Near East), El Árbol del Líbano (The Tree of Lebanon), Al-Etehad (The Union), Al-Faihaa (The Spacious), Al-Sayf (The Saber), and La Unión (The Union).

Arab Union of Cuba

Arab organizations and associations began appearing during their immigration and existed in nearly every urban area in Cuba. Founded in 1979, The Arab Union of Cuba is the most notable and established Arab association in Cuba and it still operates today. Among the Arab Union of Cuba's work is the development of the Memorial to Arab Immigrants in the Park of the Arab Immigrant on Calle Monte in Havana's Los Sitios neighborhood. [2]

Figures

Cities of Arrival for Arab Immigrants [1]
CityPercentage
Havana25.5%
Holguín5.6%
Santiago de Cuba3.9%
Camagüey3.3%
Matanzas3.1%
Guantánamo2.9%
Ciego de Ávila2.8%
Santa Clara2.7%
Puerto Padre2.7%
Cárdenas2.4%
Marianao2.3%
Guanabacoa2.2%
Arab migration to Cuba from 1920 to 1931 [1]
YearTotal
1920682
1921275
1922232
19231342
19241954
19251795
19261139
1927606
1928646
1929426
1930180
193160

Notable Arab Cubans

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana</span> Capital and largest city of Cuba

Havana is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. The city has a population of 2.3 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of 728.26 km2 (281.18 sq mi)for the Capital City side and 8,475.57 km² for the Metropolitan zone – making it the largest city by area, the most populous city, and the Second largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region.

Chinatowns in Latin America developed with the rise of Chinese immigration in the 19th century to various countries in Latin America as contract laborers in agricultural and fishing industries. Most came from Guangdong Province. Since the 1970s, the new arrivals have typically hailed from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns may include the descendants of original migrants — often of mixed Chinese and Latino parentage — and more recent immigrants from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans are of Cantonese and Hakka origin. Estimates widely vary on the number of Chinese descendants in Latin America but it is at least 1.4 million and likely much greater than this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Havana</span> Neighborhood of Miami, Florida, US

Little Havana is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenicianism</span> Form of Lebanese nationalism

Phoenicianism is a form of Lebanese nationalism adopted by a section of Lebanese people, at the time of the creation of Greater Lebanon. It constitutes identification of the Lebanese people with the ancient Phoenicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese people</span> People inhabiting or originating from Lebanon; citizens or natives of Lebanon

The Lebanese people are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may also include those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state. The major religious groups among the Lebanese people within Lebanon are Shia Muslims (27%), Sunni Muslims (27%), Maronite Christians (21%), Greek Orthodox Christians (8%), Melkite Christians (5%), Druze (5.2%), Protestant Christians (1%). The largest contingent of Lebanese, however, comprise a diaspora in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa, which is predominantly Maronite Christian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Cuba</span>

Cuba is a majority Christian nation, with Islam being one of the smallest minority faiths in the country. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center report, there were then 10,000 Muslims in Cuba who constitute less than 0.1% of the population. As of 2012, most of the 10,000 Cuban Muslims were converts to the religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miramar, Havana</span> District of Havana in Cuba

Miramar is a residential district of the municipality of Playa, in the city of Havana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Lebanon</span> Overview of the history, presence and impact of Christianity in Lebanon

Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures purport that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, whom they affiliated to the ancient patriarchate of Antioch. Christianity spread slowly in Lebanon due to pagans who resisted conversion, but it ultimately spread throughout the country. Even after centuries of Muslim rule, it remains the dominant faith of the Mount Lebanon region and has substantial communities elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centro Habana</span> Municipality of Havana in Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Centro Habana is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs in the city of Havana, Cuba. There are many retail spaces (such as Plaza de Carlos III commercial center, office buildings, hotels, bars and clubs. A chinatown - Barrio Chino - is also located in this district. It is a smaller municipality of Havana, and it has the highest population density.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Americans</span> Americans of Lebanese descent

Lebanese Americans are Americans of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States of America, as well as immigrants from Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asturians</span> Celtic Romance ethnic group from Asturias

Asturians are a Romance ethnic group native to the autonomous community of Asturias, in the North-West of the Iberian Peninsula.

Arab Colombians refers to Arab immigrants and their descendants in the Republic of Colombia. Most of the migrants came from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. When they were first processed in the ports of Colombia, they were classified as Turks because what is now Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine were then territories of the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that Colombia has a Lebanese population of 3.2 million. Meanwhile the Palestine population is estimated between 100,000-120,000.

Arab Chileans are Chileans from predominantly Arab ancestry. People from the Arab world arrived in Chile as early as the mid-19th century. Historically, the Arabs of Chile were called Turks, Moors, Arabs, Lebanese, or Palestinians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maronites</span> Christian ethnoreligious group in the Levant

The Maronites are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of West Asia, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the largest concentration long residing near Mount Lebanon in modern Lebanon. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the Pope and the rest of the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Mexicans</span> Mexican citizens of Lebanese origin

Lebanese Mexicans refers to Mexican citizens of Lebanese origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Lebanese in Egypt</span>

The Syro-Lebanese of Egypt, also known as Levantine-Egyptians or Syro-Egyptians, are an ethnic minority group in Egypt. They are Egyptians who have ancestry originating from the Levant, mostly what is now Syria and Lebanon. The majority of Egypt's historic Syro-Lebanese community is Christian, mainly Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cayo Hueso, Havana</span> Ward of Havana in Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Cayo Hueso is a consejo popular (ward) in the municipality of Centro Habana, Havana, Cuba. A traditionally working-class neighborhood populated by Afro-Cubans, it is known for its many cultural landmarks such as the Callejón de Hamel, the Fragua Martiana Museum and the Parque de los Mártires Universitarios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza del Vapor, Havana</span> Courtyard in Havana, Cuba

The Plaza del Vapor was a covered market in Havana. Its name derives from its builder Francisco Martí who became later the impresario of the Tacón Theatre and who had a monopoly of fish trade in the city. Martí had a painting placed against a wall from a bar of the ship El Neptuno, the first vapor that made regular round trips between Havana and Matanzas. "It was the image of that ship that ended up naming the building." From the Plaza del Vapor, Martí sold 50% of all the lottery tickets. in Cuba.

The Arab Union of Cuba is an organization and community center in Havana, Cuba that aims to preserve and maintain the Arab community and culture in Cuba. The organization was founded through the merger of existing Arab organizations in Cuba, including the Lebanese Society of Havana, the Arab Center Society and the Society Arab Palestine of Cuba. The organization is housed at the Cuban Arab Cultural Center in the neighborhood of Centro Habana in Havana, Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana Jai alai</span> Historic building in Havana, Cuba

There is an abandoned Jai alai court in the back of the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the site of the old Casa de Beneficencia, on Calles Concordia and Lucenas near Calle Belascoain, an area that had been considered in the early part of the city as a place to locate the helpless and the unwanted, it was the edge of the city and the countryside known as the "basurero"; the spectator stands were parallel to Calle Concordia, the front wall of the court faced Calle Lucenas, east in the direction towards Old Havana. The original building has been annexed by five stories of residential concrete construction on the north side along Calle Virtudes. The Havana Jai alai fronton was known as "the palace of screams".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Menéndez Paredes, Rigoberto (2007). Los árabes en Cuba (in Spanish). La Habana: Ediciones Boloña : Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad. ISBN   9789597126690. OCLC   316221166.
  2. "Unión Árabe de Cuba". 2017-06-12. Archived from the original on 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2019-04-03.