Prayer or Protest: Exploring Spirituality and Resistance in The Jungle

Wifredo Lam,The Jungle (La Jungla), gouache on paper mounted on canvas, 1943,  Museum of Modern Art in New York

Wifredo Lam’s The Jungle (1942) serves as a powerful exploration of Afro-Cuban identity and resistance to continued colonial oppression. The intense visual language of the work of anthropomorphic figures staring out from a landscape of dense foliage evokes a feeling of tension, reflecting Cuba’s socio-political struggles in the early 20th century. Lam’s work conveys a powerful statement about the complexities of race, culture, and power on the island during this turbulent period.

This research focuses on how Lam uses motifs from the Santería religion in The Jungle to craft a visual act of decolonization. Santería, one of many African derived religions in the Americas, blends West African spiritual traditions with Catholicism, a fusion that emerged as a survival strategy during the era of colonialism. The Orishas (spirits/deities) from West African religious traditions, were concealed within Catholic saints to preserve African spiritual practices in the face of European domination. Additionally, one must consider the island's indigenous population and their own influence in shaping these new traditions and religions. 

In Cuban art, Santería has developed its own, distinct visual language, composed of African, indigenous, and Catholic imagery. Interestingly, Lam excludes Roman Catholic imagery from The Jungle, and many of his other Santería inspired works. This paper argues that by omitting Catholic symbols while incorporating the Orishas and other Santería elements, Lam asserts cultural independence and positions Afro-Cuban traditions as a powerful resistance to colonial influence. The Jungle thus becomes a statement of decolonization, emphasizing the vitality of Afro-Cuban spirituality and its autonomy.