Afro-Cuban

American  

[af-roh-kyoo-buhn] / ˈæf roʊˈkyu bən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Black people of Cuban origin and African ancestry.

   an Afro-Cuban movie director.

2. combining elements of Black African culture with those of Cuban culture.

   Afro-Cuban religion.

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noun

1. a Black person of Cuban origin and African ancestry.

   an engineering scholarship for Afro-Cubans.

2. percussive Latin music originating in Cuba and showing strong African rhythmic influence.

   a distinctive blend of jazz, Afro-Cuban, and hip-hop.

Afro-Cuban British  

adjective

1. of or relating to a type of jazz influenced by Cuban variants of African rhythms Compare Cu-bop

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Etymology

Origin of Afro-Cuban

First recorded in 1890–95; Afro- ( def. ) + Cuban ( def. )

Example Sentences

Roughly 8 feet square, this dense frontal forest of figures—part human, part animal, part vegetal—in acidic blues, yellows and greens, is Cubist, Surrealist, Afro-Cuban.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Born in Cuba’s working-class neighborhoods — known colloquially as repartos — this hyperkinetic fusion of reggaetón, timba and Afro-Cuban rhythms has become the island’s score.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2025

In 2010, a Super Bowl in Miami — home of salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz — gave us the Who ... who are also from England.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2025

The man is Carlos Martiel, an Afro-Cuban performance artist known for putting his body through grueling, painful trials while audiences watch.

From New York Times • May 23, 2024

But I also feel swept away by the power of music—and I’m proud that an Afro-Cuban woman who sang in Spanish could move the hearts of so many.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar