Fernando Ortiz (1881–1969)

There is a noted sense of lament in Ortiz’s allegorical interplay between the Cuban sugar and tobacco. Sugar, with its foreign roots in the Far East, what Columbus died thinking Cuba was indeed a part of, manifests itself as a force of change, intervention, mechanization and subsequently invasion. Ortiz uses the introduction of sugar to the geography and economy as a way to demonstrate and give reason for the modernization of Cuba, and for the most part shows it as having a negative impact. Slavery, the assarting of land, and violate changes to the Cuban economy and style of living are shown to be linked with the spread of sugar plantations. Ortiz’s vilification of sugar in the poetic language that he uses demonstrates a clear bias against the changes wrought upon the island by the introduction of sugar cane growing. His sociological approach shines as Ortiz demonstrates the different lifestyles between those huddled in sugar factories versus the more independent tobacco farmer. Taking a page from Karl Marx’s notion of alienation and Durkheim’s anomie, Ortiz writes of how the work in Cuba’s sugar economy holds an inherent dehumanization that goes beyond the latent slavery that was used in the plantations.

The demonized cigar spokesman of Gary Trudeua’s Doonseburry cartoon would indeed love Ortiz’s text as tobacco is without question portrayed as the “hero” of the piece. Balanced more in the first section, but still a recurring theme throughout the entire text is the intimate link between tobacco and the soul of Cuban culture, and the positive aspects of its history and success. Invariably, Ortiz recognizes the fact that Cuba’s contribution to the world will forever be its stature as the home of the best cigar in the world. The humanistic and egalitarian aspects of tobacco are stressed through some often extreme but nonetheless elegantly illustrated narratives in the first half of the book. Ortiz’s deep feelings for his homeland and a campisno lifestyle reveals itself through his innumerable linkages between tobacco and a lifestyle of freedom, honesty and one that is closer to man’s nature. Ortiz’s patriotic fervor when describing the cultivation of tobacco is a good resources to gauge the intensity of the unique Cuban character at this time.

The exhaustiveness of the text is both a curse and a blessing, manifesting itself worse through Ortiz’s lyrical but often repetitive style that stresses points that were well made the first three or four times. The theme that “Tobacco is a magic gift of the savage world; sugar is a scientific gift of civilization” (Ortiz, 46) is repeated again and again in different variations and permutations, but nonetheless saying essentially the same thing. The first half of the text, although a pleasure to read, lacks proper weight as a historical piece as Ortiz seems more concerned with discovering new literary flourishes to illustrate the same point rather then providing more historical detail. As if to counter against what has come before, the second half becomes a rather dry, albeit detailed, further account of tobacco and sugar’s development in Cuba and its impact around the world. Among the minutia that is analyzed are the true origins of the rolled cigar, the economic relationship between the Church and tobacco, and the evolution of cigar holders dating back to the original natives. As acknowledged in the book’s introduction, this tome serves as among one of the first exclusive history of Cuba; however its enormous detail on the history of tobacco probably qualifies it as one of a kind in that arena as well, justifying the second half of this book.

With today’s focus on globalism, Ortiz’s self-proclaimed original use of the term transculturalism is one of the prime interests to readers of this book today. Ortiz’s interests in the impact of cultures when they collide showcase a sociological angle to his examination of Cuban history. Ortiz uses tobacco as an example of transculturization at work and recognizes how Cuba’s development was emblematic of how the Industrial Revolution led to the mixing of new foods, ideas, and more from across the oceans. Much of his comparisons between the productions of sugar and tobacco offers examples of the growing divisions of labor that were central to sociological explorations by academics such as Emilie Durkhiem and others. Working as not only an early and vital historical text, Cuban Counterpoint also offers much to those looking for an early sociological look at Cuba or simply a genuinely inventive and vibrant piece of literature that celebrates the Cuban spirit.
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I found this book to be an excellent background resource in analyzing playwright Nilo Cruz' Pulitizer-prize winning play, "Anna in the Tropics."
Ortiz: Transculturation is a term coined by Fernando Ortiz in 1947 to describe the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures. In simple terms, it reflects the natural tendency of people (in general) to resolve conflicts over time, rather than exacerbating them. In the modern context, both conflicts and resolutions are amplified by communication and transportation technology —the ancient tendency of cultures drifting or remaining apart has been replaced by stronger forces for bringing societies together. Where tranculturation impacts ethnicity and ethnic issues the term “ethnoconvergence" is sometimes used.… (mehr)