PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF CUBA

The following is a more detailed profile on the people of Cuba that includes its history. The Cuban people need PRAYER!

The name “Cuba” can be traced back to the indigenous Taíno, the first people to live on the island. It means “Where fertile lands abound.” In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed at Cuba and claimed the land for Spain. The first Spanish settlement on Cuba was Baracoa (later to be Cuba’s capital, Havana), which was founded by Diego Velázquez in 1511.

As Cuba became more settled by the Spanish, they developed industries of sugarcane, tobacco, and cattle and imported slaves from Africa to work in the fields. Cuba first started to fight for its independence from Spain in 1868 in the Ten Years War. In 1898, the United States was fighting Spain and the USS Maine was sunk in Havana Harbor. In the same year, the U.S. and Cuba defeated the Spanish at the Battle of San Juan Hill. The U.S. gained control of Cuba with the Treaty of Paris and, in 1902, gave Cuba independence.

In 1952, Fulgencio Batista took control of the country and made himself dictator. The Cuban people soon rejected him. Rebel leader Fidel Castro organized a revolution to overthrow Batista, and in 1959 he gained control of the country. He declared Cuba a socialist country and allied Cuba with the Soviet Union.

The United States unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Castro through the Bay of Pigs invasion. Then, the Soviet Union tried to establish a nuclear missile base in Cuba, causing the Cuban Missile Crisis. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba lost an important source of support. The United States has had to periodically establish trade embargos against Cuba as they were a communist country.

Castro remained in power until 2008, when his brother Raúl became president. Raúl made some changes. In April 2018, Raúl Castro stepped down and was replaced by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. Since this time, Cuba has been thrown into economic and social decline. Many no longer want to live under a communist-controlled government. From 2023–2025, almost three million people—white Cubans—have left the country.

Failure of the government has been responsible for the collapse of basic services needed by the people such as food production, electricity, public health, public safety, transportation, water, housing, and education. Industries have faced a significant drop in exports, remittance income, tourism, medical services, and other jobs.

A 70% drop in income over the last ten years, coupled with a weakening of support from allies such as Russia, China, and Venezuela, has been catastrophic. The external debt is so high that no country wants to lend money to Cuba. This failure has resulted in the massive exodus of one million Cubans (mainly white) in the last three years. The U.S. government is allowing these people to become citizens within one year of their arrival.

The Cuban people have a unique blend of European, African, and Caribbean influences in their culture. This is evident in their music, dances, cuisine, dress, and unity. They are by nature hard workers and strive to do their best at what they do. Family and community play a central role in their lives, providing support and stability. Living through the communist regime has been difficult; however, it has not completely suppressed these vibrant people!

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SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND

The spiritual beliefs of the people of Cuba are tied to their history. During the pre-colonial period, the Taíno people worshiped multiple gods, practiced ancestral worship, and conducted various rituals in worship.

With the Spanish invasion dating to the 16th century, the Catholic Church was the main religious following of the people. Protestantism began in the 18th century and was accepted by many Cubans.

When the communist party took over Cuba in 1959, they immediately placed tight restrictions on all religious groups, deported many Catholic priests, and closed all religious schools. Only by 1990 were some of these restrictions removed.

The Cult of Santería, which is a combination of West Africa’s Yoruba spiritualism, traditional Caribbean practices, and Catholicism, has unfortunately drawn a larger number of Cubans, especially the youth.

All churches in Cuba must be approved by the government and be members of the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC). Those that do not register with the CCC are unable to print Bibles. They cannot repair or build structures.

Unfortunately, Christians attending churches in Cuba are constantly aware that CCC spies may be present during their worship. Regardless of all of this, many Cubans are not intimidated and have sought through prayer ways to reach out to people with GOD’s Word.

A major need for the Cuban people is Bibles and Biblical teaching. The need for a stable and caring government is a huge need for these people!

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PRAYER POINTS

• Pray for economic and social reforms that are desperately needed!
• Pray the people will experience the security, stability, and peace they need in their daily lives.
• Pray that Cuban Bibles through U.S.-run mission groups will be given permission to bring Bibles to Cuba.
• Pray for the pastors and Christians in Cuba that GOD will protect them as they increase their outreach to their people.
• Pray that Cuban Christians will receive Bible training to help them reach the people of Cuba.
• Pray for the U.S. government—that its leaders will know the best way to help Cuba so the country will not be dominated by a Communist-run government.