Myth, Literature and Nation: the Myth of Sikán and the Construction of the Abakuá World in Alejo Carpentier and Lydia Cabrera
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Abakuá secret societies have historically been associated with crime and delinquency within the Cuban national identity. A careful look reveals, however, the need to rethink the nature of these societies of mutual aid based on a complex mythical-religious universe. Building on Sikán's genesis myth, they present an unique worldview within the spectrum of Afro-Cuban cults, including the Abakuá cult. The following essay explores the function of this myth and the Abakuá presence in texts by Alejo Carpentier and Lydia Cabrera, and their relationship with a generic hybridity marked by ethnographic and literary elements. With this purpose, this work is oriented towards the examination and deconstruction of literary representations of the black presence in Cuba and its effects on the configuration of the literary work.
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Sosa Cabanas, Alberto. “Myth, Literature and Nation: the Myth of Sikán and the Construction of the Abakuá World in Alejo Carpentier and Lydia Cabrera”. Mitologías hoy, vol.VOL 19, pp. 101-8, https://raco.cat/index.php/mitologias/article/view/359492.
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