sentences:  Enslaved Africans were first brought in Cuba in the 16th century by the early Spanish settlers.Due to the significance of sugar as an export during the late 18th and early 19th century, even greater numbers of people from Africa were enslaved, brought to Cuba, and forced to work on the sugar plantations.Where large populations of enslaved Africans lived, African religion, dance, and drumming were clandestinely preserved through the generations.