Spreading the Gospel of Afro-Cuban Song : Pop music: Santeria priest Lazaro Ros performs this weekend in L.A. ‘This tradition is an intimate part of the Cuban culture, and my goal in life is to spread it worldwide.’

“Whether it is cha-cha-cha, rumba, son, mambo or contemporary pop, all Cuban music is an expression of the same spiritual tradition,” says Lazaro Ros. “It’s something that, somehow or other, is rooted in your soul and you cannot neglect.”

Ros, an akpuon , or priest, of Santeria, is Cuba’s best-known living master of the Afro-Cuban spiritual song based on that Nigerian-rooted religion, and in two rare shows on Friday and Saturday at Macondo Cultural Center he will sing Yoruba hymns to the African deities that were disguised as Catholic saints by 16th-Century slaves in Cuba in order to avoid Church persecution.

The tradition, which is protected and encouraged by the Cuban government, is practiced secretly in the rest of Latin America, where the predominantly Catholic society has even lumped it in with Satanic rites.

“This tradition is an intimate part of the Cuban culture, and my goal in life is to spread it worldwide,” said Ros, 68, in a phone conversation from New York.

On his second U.S. tour, Ros will sing and explain the meaning of orishas (cosmic beings representing human principles and the forces of nature). Yamira Sanchez, singer and dancer in Cuba’s foremost pop-fusion group Mezcla, and Amelia Pedroso, Cuba’s most famous female akpuon , will accompany him with traditional dances.

“When I was 13, I became attracted to these ceremonies,” said Ros, retracing his path to the priesthood. “My mother was a cook and laundress , my aunts became doctors and my brother was in the string section of the National Symphonic Orchestra. But I always wanted to be an akpuon because I felt naturally close to it.”

After founding Cuba’s official folkloric ensemble, Conjunto Folklorico Nacional, in 1962, Ros went on to record six records, form youth choruses and present his music in a variety of formats. Two of the most intriguing are his Yoruban chanting backed by Mezcla, and an upcoming album with leading Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanes.

In fact, the Los Angeles show was originally planned as a fusion event, with Ros and Mezcla as the headliners. But according to tour organizers, the State Department allowed only Ros, Sanchez and Batista to enter the U.S.

Still, Ros remains on his mission.

“Once you hear the music you cannot ignore it,” he said. “All expressions of Cuban music are valid forms of the same spiritual mood. I consider myself a student of my roots, and it is my desire to share it with everyone and never stop learning.”

* Macondo Cultural Center is located at 4319 Melrose Ave. Information: (213) 953-0615.