Cuba and Venezuela: Santeria, the Feast of San Lazaro & Election Results (Lp12112015)

Religion and politics, the so-called taboo subjects provide the central themes for "Latin Pulse" this week. The program provides a preview of Cuba's favorite religious celebration, the feast day of San Lazaro. The program explores the mix of faiths that honor that day on Dec. 17, including the practitioners of Santeria and those with Christian beliefs. The program also goes in-depth on reaction to the surprising landslide win of opposition groups in Venezuela in that country's Congressional elections. The program includes excerpts from an international press conference that analyzes the political scene in Venezuela. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Michael Atwood Mason, the Director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage; and David Smilde of Tulane University and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell; Technical Director: Jim Singer; and Associate Producer: Natalie Ottinger. *Michael Atwood Mason is also the author, editor, and curator of a cultural blog called Baba Who? Babalu! http://baba-who-babalu-santeria.blogspot.com/ †David Smilde is also the curator, editor and author of the WOLA blog, Venezuela Politics & Human Rights: http://venezuelablog.tumblr.com/ The photo of a woman making the pilgrimage to Rincon during the Feast of San Lazaro celebrations is from the Cuban government and is in the public domain.