Admixture In Yoruba

It is warm and bright as we traverse the streets of Trinidad, Cuba. Pointing out numerous sites of the historical city, our tour guide suddenly stops in front of an idol in the middle of an open courtyard. The figure is in the form of an onyx girl, with a bright blue dress and glass eyes. My parents smile and tell my sisters and me that we were looking at Yemaja, god of river and water. She is an Orisha from one of the traditional religions of the Yoruba, my ethnic group in Nigeria. I was of course aware that many Cubans are descendants of people brought over as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade, however, I was not anticipating seeing so many Cubans actively practicing the religion during my trip.
As someone who is interested in global affairs, I have always enjoyed learning about
In Frontiers of Science I was introduced to a genetic atlas of human admixture history. After class, I meticulously searched through different regions around the world, examining the correlations between different ethnic groups. I was surprised to find that although Yoruba DNA is common to many different ethnic groups in Central America, the Middle East and Europe, there is no strong evidence of admixture in Yorubaland itself. The admixture map is quite interesting because it serves as a scientific explanation to the history of mankind.
I recently went to the “Cuba!” exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. It is absolutely gorgeous and very interactive. There is a vintage car, typical of the vehicles you see on the streets of Havana today. There is an actual radio from the 1940s, which you can choose to play different songs from. There is also a beautiful display of various religions in Cuba. I learned a lot about the country and had a great time showing my friends a replica of a shrine to an Orisha. I grateful for the opportunity to explore my interests in Columbia University and New