At the beginning of each year, Cuba’s santeros and babalawos -- the high priests of the Afro-Cuban religion of santería -- get together and read the Letter of the
Year, a message from the gods designed to give believers something of a heads up.

Casa Yoruba’s Antonio Orestes Castaneda Marquez says his group’s membership includes more than 500 of Cuba’s most important santeros and babalawos, but
it’s a historically unruly community so every complaint has to be taken seriously.

Like the one about the cafeteria. Most santeros and babalawos live in poverty; it’s almost a rule. Yet the cafeteria at Casa Yoruba is charging in dollars, not Cuban
pesos. Hardly anyone can afford it except foreigners.

"We don’t have permission to change pesos into dollars, and we’re forced to buy supplies in dollars," explains a frustrated Castaneda. "Plus, we pay a lot of taxes to
be in business, to be part of Old Havana."

The pressure -- even in their own headquarters -- to deal in dollars is causing some shamans to consider altering the rules of their faith.

"I know it’s true -- a lot of people are adapting ceremonies for foreigners who pay in dollars," says Castaneda with a pained look. "But we’re against that, just like
we’re against filming the ceremonies or participating in any way in all the fetishism foreigners have with our animal sacrifices and that sort of thing. Commercialization
isn’t good for us."

Yet Castaneda recognizes the problem of trying to please foreigners isn’t just about making money.

"We come from a culture of slaves, so sometimes we bend," he says. "We don’t always realize we’re a free people now, and we can say no."

Finally, after more than an hour of practical explanations and apologies to those gathered, Castaneda finally gets down to Letter of the Year and the gods' message:
Not surprisingly, 2002 is going to be a difficult year.