Arab Union of Cuba. It is an organization that contains to the community of Arab inhabitants from Cuba been founded in 1979, without origin discrimination, religion, having like ends the promotion and popularization of the identity, traditions and Arab culture.
The Arab that came to Cuba came in general of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, region that integrated Great Syria or the Weighing one properly this. Contrary to other migratory currents that were resided in Latin America, the Arab immigration was not product of treaties or agreements with its countries of origins; the arrival of the Arab immigrants was individual, in small groups that you/they chose freely several destinations of America.
The movement migratory Arabic began between 1860 and 1900. It cannot be necessary the exact date of the arrival of the first immigrants. In the case of Cuba he/she is considered that it was approximately for 1860. Concerning to Cuba it was always considered Antón Farak like first Arabic arrived in Cuba in 1879, but starting from studies carried out by the Group of Investigations of the Arab Union of Cuba (UAC), you has reached the conclusion, after revising multiple departures in the files that already from 1850 Arab arrived to Cuba.
According to the investigation and the study carried out by the Cuban engineer Luis Cricket, taking as source the National File of Cuba, in the period understood between 1850 and 1900 was found that they arrived to the country 2000 Arab. Between 1906 and 1920 they arrived to Cuba12 219 Arab and enter 1921 and 1937 the figure of Arab immigrants it was increased until arriving to 21 700 Arab. Product of these two big waves and of Arab immigrants' sporadic arrivals, the total figure ended up belonging to 33 919 people. In the case of Havana, these groups settled in the Roadway of Jesus of the Mount, because that area was near to the port and the commercial activity prevailed. Without place to doubts, it also influenced the topography of the place, similar to Lebanon.
The Arab immigrant that arrived in Cuba among the XIX and XX centuries materialized a gradual process of integration in the Cuban nationality, in such a way that at the present time her descendant doesn't differ practically of the rest of the population. Arabic was melting with the Creole, he/she learned its language, he/she adapted to its customs without losing the own one, he/she married the Cubans, it founded its family and it fought for the country like his. For all this, the fifty thousand descending that live in Cuba they are a good integration example and recognition to the roots that found, and of those which later formed part.
In Havana, the Arab community settled fundamentally in the Roadway of Mount, where they established warehouses, restaurants, candy stores, parishes of the rite maronita, societies of help and recess, with an ethnic evident sense and of collective.
In the allotment Santa Amalia, - belonging to the municipality Stream Orange tree - another cluster of certain consideration takes place, mainly of Lebaneses that were devoted to the trade retailer and for sale itinerant, there they found an Arabic and several association of them they ended up being part of the social elite of that town.
When it had already entered an important nucleus of Arab immigrants to Cuba and you had resided definitively in the whole country and with the firm decision of forming their families, it begins to arise the necessity to group in institutions, of being organized assisting to their necessities. A wide spectrum that will go from mutual societies of help and aid, begins then at the beginning, until recreation clubs, with vaults in cemeteries and a social wide activity.
These Arab in Cuba are organized in agreement societies with their origin place and their social group. One of the first ones in being founded was the Society Syrian Progress of Havana, in 1905. In 1919 the Society Arab Palestine of Cuba is believed, and in 1920 the Lebanese first Society. Some of these societies and committees ended up having a great force, like it was the case of the Committee Panárabe of Cuba that was instituted when the case of the partition of Palestine was settled and that it influenced in the Cuban voting for the non division of that country. Inside the territory of Cuba, where he/she wants that there were Arab establishments, societies (to See enclosed Chart) also existed.
The entity like such it was created April 4 1979 to contain to the immigrant levantinos residents in Cuba to the descendants, in the same one the Lebanese Societies of Havana, the Arab Center and Arab Palestine of Cuba become unified.
In April of 1979, starting from the creation of the Arab Union of Cuba, a new stage began in this country in the knowledge and diffusion of so old culture, not alone for its members, but for the whole town in general. From their constitution UAC has among its objectives to promote the unit, the identity and the culture of the Cuban-Arab community and the historical bonds that unite it to the diverse homelands of its previous lovers' origin.
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