Afro-Cuban

American  

[af-roh-kyoo-buhn] / ˈæf roʊˈkju 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

See Examples For:

Afro-Cuban

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

He became one of the most convincing early proponents of the world music movement, readily fitting in tabla with flamenco as well as with African, Indonesian , Afro-Cuban, you-name-it drumming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

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

Santeria devotees dance and slap drums in a museum filled with statues, paying homage to their Afro-Cuban deities.

From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024

The families in our building are a mix of Sephardic Jews from Turkey and Afro-Cubans, and Teresita’s family is Afro-Cuban.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar