Cilo del Monte y Santiesteban (CEE-Low dell MOAN-tay Eee Sahn-TEES-tey-ban) . The color of bittersweet chocolate, Cilo is a compact, Afro-Cuban man with a soft step and quiet rivers of understanding. A Babalawo from Oriente wrapped in white guayaberas, a white kofi woven with care and a thick rope of elekes adorning his collar bone; he is a carpenter by trade and speaks with a thick, lyrical Afro Cuban accent. He and Celia listen to the conch shell’s call and when language fails them, they conspire in the realm of the ancestors: a place where deep compassion and love are the food that most revolutionaries eat. He speaks a poetic Afro-Cuban Spanish (como Bebo Valdes o Pedro Knight) as if it is the only language that exists and, he, its only teacher. He also speaks the ritual language of Santeria. Good Bread Alley by April Yvette Thompson
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 17:12:28 +0000