Perhaps the legend around the abakuá Andrés Petit, also called Andrés Quimbisa, Cristo Facundo de los Dolores or El Caballero de Color, has practically remained in that, a mythical account of a disappearance, which today the most devoted of African religious expressions have fervor.
But we must know that Andrés Petit is the founder of a strong ñáñiga power known as Quimbisa Rule, also baptized in 1863 as Bacocó Efór.
And since then, he has contributed to forging that Afro-Cuban religion that today integrates all devotees as Cubans, without exceptions of race or power.
Part of the legend that surrounds this figure in Cuban history is that Petit went to Rome, and there he spoke privately with the Pope. And from those crossed words, he introduced the crucifix into the ñáñigo cult and created the Plaza de Abasí, as a Catholic symbol of God, strongly mixing Catholic beliefs and African religious expressions.
It is said that this puzzled the Abakuá in Havana, who, aware of Petit's meeting with the pope, and dissatisfied with Catholic reforms to their community, waited threateningly for them in the Havana port.
And he tells the story passed by word of mouth for generations, that, just by raising his staff, the leader reassured the crowd.
The legend of the founder of the Kimbisa Rule
Tell the story that Andres Petit He died at 48 years of age, but it is not known where or what he suffered from.
Today his disappearance is a legend among devotees and his portrait presides over many house-temples where devotees place flowers: twelve white flowers with a black prince.
And they thank Petit for giving white people access to the Rule of Palo Monte and for clearing up the malicious rumors that circulated about African religious expressions.
Many indicate that the abakuá possessed extraordinary powers described by many as supernatural and thus came to be initiated in various religious Rules. He was a tertiary in the Guanabacoa convent, lucumí, owner of nganga, mayombero, and isué (high rank of the Abakuá secret society).
Others say that Petit was a traitor and therefore expelled from the clan of the ñáñigos in the worst way, since they said that he sold the secrets of the Mayombe to the whites.
The story that honors the practitioner
The reality of history indicates that Dolores Petit, with what she learned in the practice of different religions and the prestige she enjoyed, faced the immense racism that prevailed in Cuba in the mid-nineteenth century, to found her own Rule called then La Kimbisa Rule of the Holy Christ of Good Trip, in which he combined all the known practices of The Rule of the Ocha (Santeria), Mayomberia, spiritism and the Catholic Church.
And with that action he deployed his message seeking unity and fraternity, among the followers of the different religions, both white and black.
The kimbisa rule united African religious expressions in their worship together with Christian prayer, and among their spiritual guides were Saint Luís Beltrán and Saint Benedict of Palermo, among others.
The foundation or major nganga that a person received according to the Kimbisa, was Zarabanda, on which the main ceremonies, initiations, cleansings, life changes, among other cults were made and the most important festival that was celebrated in the town hall was the saint Christ.
Thus, the Kimbisa even achieved the acceptance of the Catholic clergy, and the same religion managed to welcome the liberated blacks, since Dolores Petit was able to buy their freedom.
The Cajon to Eggún in the Rule of Palo Mayombe
Do you know these sacred deities of Palo Mayombe and their powers?
