Por qué los cubanos decimos: “Eso es más viejo que Ñañá Seré”. 😊 Los cubanos usamos varias frases para señalar que algo es muy antiguo. Por ejemplo, solemos decir: “eso es de cuando el Morro era de palo”; o “eso es del año de Matusalén”; o “eso es más viejo que Ñañá Seré”. ¿Quién fue Ñañá Seré? Existen dos versiones del origen de esta frase cubana. La primera hace referencia a la existencia de las siete tribus Ñañá Seré: Suama, Bakongo, Musundi, Luango, Gangá, Makoa y Mandinga, que forman la nación conga. Durante el período colonial en Cuba se introdujeron muchos esclavos africanos provenientes de esta región. Con el paso del tiempo ocurrió un profundo proceso de transculturación y por eso… More
Cubans use several phrases to point out that something is very old. For example, we usually say, ′′ That’s from when the Morro was a stick «; or ′′ that’s from the year of Methuselah «; or ′′ that’s older than Ña ñ Seré «. Who was Ña ñ I’ll be? There are two versions of the origin of this Cuban phrase. The first refers to the existence of the seven tribes Ña ñ Seré: Suama, Bakongo, Musundi, Luango, Ganga, Makoa and Mandinga, which form the Conga nation. During the colonial period in Cuba many African slaves from this region were introduced. Over time there was a deep transculture process and that’s why many references to the African remain in our life. But… Ña ñ means mother in Yoruba tongue The second version says that, in the time of the colony, lived in Cuba a lucumi slave who always had a lot of stories to tell of his life, as he reached age 100 or more. And it was known as Ña ña Ser Ser. Lucumi slaves came from West Africa, Nigeria region. They are the Yoruba branch of our African root. Currently the nana or nana language persists in that region and is used to say something or someone is very old. The word Baba is used to designate the father in Yoruba. Maybe that’s why the story of Ña ña Ser I’ll be more likely to match a slave. They had greater chances of survival, as many were dedicated to domestic work. Instead, men were exposed from children to agricultural work and other hard work that severely affected their health. Ña ñ I will be a very clever being One of the anecdotes that transcend from Ña ñ Seré, in a book entitled ′′ Cuban Folkloric Prints «, is about his craftyness to evade hard working days. When his master would send to work, Ña ñ said, ′′ black empty belly can’t work «. But a while later, after eating, he refused to do his job again saying, ′′ black with a full belly can’t work «. Ña ñ I’ll be challenged at the time Whether it was a man, woman, or a kingdom, little contributes. Great value really is in what symbolizes Ña ña ña Serre. It’s the image of the resistance of thousands of uprooted Africans who survived a long transoceanic journey and hardest jobs. Ña ñ I will be the spirit that doesn’t give up and rip off time to death. It’s the struggle to be, to be integrated, to be part. It’s the silent battle with life and, they say, it seems he fought so well that it gave him the greatest gift, freedom. By: Gretchen Sanchez
Branded Content Writer at CyberCuba. Doctor of Science from the University of Alicante and Bachelor of Sociocultural Studies. ·
