Encuentro Maravillas: Queering the Sensory Experience of Santería

Abstract

This thesis examines three strands: the 1994 Cuban movie Fresa y Chocolate (“Strawberry and Chocolate”), directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabo, based on Senal Paz’ screenplay El lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo (“The wolf, the forest and the new man”). The second strand explores the sensory experience of the Afro-Cuban religion Santería and its presence in the movie; and finally, the third strand approaches the position of the queer in Cuban diaspora, which connects to the first two strands.