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Lázaro Ros (May 11, 1925 – February 8, 2005) was an
Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ...
singer. His music borrowed much from Africa, as he performed music of the Lucumí culture, of the
Yoruba people The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
from modern-day
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...
, and of the
Arará The Arará people form an Afro-Cuban ethnoreligious group descended from the Dahomey kingdom of West Africa, and retaining an identity, religion, and culture separate from those of other Afro-Cuban peoples. Although, historically, the Arará peop ...
culture of the Dahomeyan people from modern-day
Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
. Ros was largely self-taught, and first learned to sing by learning the chants associated with
Santería Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of We ...
, a religion based in the Lucumí and Arará cultures.


Life

Ros was born in the Santos Suárez district of
Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
. He began to work at the age of 11 distributing milk. At the age of 13 he began to sing at religious festivities, or fiesta de santo. His first major employment as a musician was in 1949, where he sang on Sunday afternoons for the radio station, RHC-Cadena Azul. After the 1959 revolution, he received international acclaim with the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (or National Folkloric Ensemble of Cuba) which allowed him to travel to Mexico, France, Spain, and the United States. He also worked at the Cuban Institute of Ethnology and Folklore. He is recognized as a founder of Afro-Cuban rock due to his work with the Síntesis and their album, Ancestros (Ancestors). He also recorded with a group called Olorun. In the year of his death, he was awarded the Orden Félix Varela First Degree, Cuba's highest cultural honour. Ros's orisha in the yoruba religion was
Oggun Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who ...
. He would later become the Akpwon Mayor, and an Oriate.


Discography

;Contributing artist * '' The Rough Guide to the Music of Cuba'' (1998,
World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" compet ...
) *''
The Rough Guide To Voodoo ''The Rough Guide To Voodoo'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 2013 featuring music inspired and influenced by the Voodoo religious tradition (from West African Vodun to New World Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and re ...
'' (2013, World Music Network)


References

Mario López-Goicoechea Obituary: Lázaro Ros. The Guardian. Wednesday March 16, 200

(accessed March 3, 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ros, Lazaro 1925 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Cuban male singers Cuban Santeríans Yoruba-language singers