- Title: Cuba's Santeria priests predict disease and rising crime in 2024
- Date: 2nd January 2024
- Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (JANUARY 2, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BABALAWO MEMBERS OF THE INDEPENDENT "COMMISSION OF THE LETTER OF THE YEAR MIGUEL FEBLES" DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BABALAWO MEMBER OF THE INDEPENDENT "COMMISSION OF THE LETTER OF THE YEAR MIGUEL FEBLES", LAZARO CUESTA, SAYING: "Events (predictions) of social concern: respecting trade agreements; increasing insect and rodent infestations; the need to increase the birth rate, and imports; foreign financing, i.e., inflow of foreign capital. There will be an increase in homicides, separation of marriages, and abandonment of children. Increased muggings and homicides, and severe discrepancies in couples." PAPER SHEET WITH TEXT OF 2024 PREDICTIONS WOMAN READING BANNER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BABALAWO MEMBER OF THE INDEPENDENT "COMMISSION OF THE LETTER OF THE YEAR MIGUEL FEBLES", LAZARO CUESTA, SAYING: "If those listening intend to rebuild and organise, the economy must open up, and improvement must come. Then joy must be reflected in the faces of the people, but as long as this does not come, the sickness that we see in our predictions will first take hold of the mind. Then the body will become sick, and man has no reason to exist when the body and soul become sick. Then comes the rupture in the family, the rupture in society, the rupture between countries. And all this will generate conflicts and wars." EXTERIOR OF HEADQUARTERS OF YORUBA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF CUBA VARIOUS OF BABALAWOS OR PRIESTS OF THE YORUBA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF CUBA DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VICE PRESIDENT OF YORUBA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF CUBA, RANCELL MONTERO, SAYING: "Cuba does not live in isolation from the world. We live in a worrying international context, there are international conflicts. Irete Suka ('The letter of the year' commission that does predictions) talks about certain declarations of war in other countries that will affect the world economy. Cuba will be immersed in this international context where we can also be affected. Of course, not everyone will feel the same crisis, but Cuba has no choice but to take advantage of everything we can do together." VARIOUS OF MAN HANDING OUT PAPER SHEETS WITH TEXT OF YORUBA'S LETTER OF THE YEAR WITH 2024 (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL, YILIANI ECHENIQUE, SAYING: "It's a matter of faith. Here, we can see what can happen and what we can change if there is hope and if there will be changes. But everything will depend on what we are able to do. It is no use reading this and not taking action. The first thing is to have faith and respect." WOMAN READING YORUBA'S LETTER OF THE YEAR WITH 2024 YORUBA'S LETTER OF THE YEAR WITH 2024 VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET
- Embargoed: 16th January 2024 20:29
- Keywords: Cuba New Year Santeros predictions
- Location: HAVANA, CUBA
- City: HAVANA, CUBA
- Country: Cuba
- Topics: South America / Central America,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA002941102012024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Priests from the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria forecasted a rise in respiratory diseases and murders in the Caribbean island during 2024.
Dozens of priests, known as Babalawos, met on December 31st to make their predictions and made them public on Tuesday (January 2).
The predictions as Cubans have been suffering from growing shortages of food, medicine, fuel, transport, and other goods for the past four years.
Santeria or Regla de Ocha is very popular on the Caribbean island, where locals wait anxiously every January for predictions for the new year.
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