La Rumba in Africa - Some pics from drum ensembles in Africa

[El Boni]

I'm gobsmacked at the extent of the knowledge presented here, but do you think some of you could use some more paragraphs and punctuation?!

This is no no way a criticism, just a frustration, as I really want to read and understand what you guys are saying, but you're making it very difficult!

B

[Berimbau]

Dear El Boni,
I ALWAYS use punctuations...................



paragraphs........................




and hieroglyphics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





!@@##$%%^^&*()_+






Saludos,


Berimbau

[percomat]

Je Pavlo, great stuff, you must have had an excellent journey in Ghana. I have a question that I've been wondering about for a while concerning the cuban and african rumba. I know some of the cuban rumba as I studied in Cuba for six months, but I don't know much of the African rumba-styles if rumba refers to a specific style at all. My impression is that in Cuba the rumba styles are very clear when tourists wants to learn them, the drumteaching seems very proffesionalized since everybody learns for example THE guaguanco havanero and the matanzero (as could be something like an american talking about THE rock rhythm or THE funk groove (it would be simplified and maybe misleading since rumba, rock and funk are played in lots of different styles)). But I wonder how it was in Ghana compared to Cuba, do they operate with rhythms the same way? Do they say for example that this a african rumba or??

I don't know if the question makes any sense so if it doesn't maybe you have a comment of differences in learning drumming in Cuba and Ghana since you have experience both places.. ok, peace out and happy new year to all.

[ABAKUA]

There is no African Rumba. No African guaguanco.

Cheers.

[Berimbau]

Dear Abakua,
At this late date, I wouldn't doubt if there was some kind of a rumba/guaguanco scene somewhere in Africa. During my recent fieldwork in Northeastern Brasil, I discovered that many young drummers were obsessed with playing guaguanco and colombia. Hungry to learn EVERYTHING about these venerable Cuban artforms, they picked my brain for information as much as I did theirs!!! Surely some young African musicians have a similar orientation? Just look at the long time popularity of Salsa in various West African countries and the subsequent local reinterpretations of THOSE musical values.
Now there is a guitar-based music heard in Zaire and parts of Angola since the early 1950's which is called rumba. In reality it is a local reinterpretation of early Cuban Son forms popular there on imported records, which was later culturally re-enforced through the presence of Cuban troops during the Angolan civil wars of the 1970's.
Kazadi Wa Mukuna, then Piere Kazadi, published a number of good articles in some African journals on the music's Zairois history. Sorry, Katrina carried them away along with some 30 years of fieldwork and other research. Kazadi is currently a professor at Kent State and would probably be happy to send you a citation.
But of course you are correct in asserting that the rumba is ABSOLUTELY CUBAN in both it's multi-cultural origins and it's musical forms.


Saludos,



Berimbau

[zaragemca]

There is a detail that some people might not have knowledge about..since the early 60's beside the tour of Cuban groups to Africa,(including the National Folkloric Group,Pello El Afrocan,(Mozambique),Los Papines,etc.,there was a large number of students from Africa,(Guinea,Congo,Angola,Ethiopian,etc.),which have been studing in Cuba,some of them studing music,(I was there talking with many of them).Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1137248866

[ABAKUA]

But of course you are correct in asserting that the rumba is ABSOLUTELY CUBAN in both it's multi-cultural origins and it's musical forms.

Cheers B, thats what I meant...
I didnt mean that they do not play it nor follow it nor that there is no scene so to speak. Im sure there is, The passion and soul of rumba lives everywhere, it cannot be contained.

I play rumba and have my own rumba group, however it does not make it "Australian Rumba", thats what I was getting at.

Of course there is going to be people who play rumba gugaguanco etc in Africa, just like there are poeple who are involved in rumba in Europe, Latin America, Asia etc etc etc....

Que viva La Rumba!



La Rumba no tiene horario, ni fecha en el calendario!

[Berimbau]

Dear Abakua,
I KNOW what you merant and you KNOW what I meant, but I said it anyway as some out here might get confused. The temptation to see ALL kinds of connection between Africa and various Diasporan cultures, does, in my opinion, get a bit ove- done to the detriment of creative peoples on BOTH sides of the Atlantic.
So no temptation to incorporate a digeridoo (or two!) and some click sticks into your rumba? I'll bet it would be quite nice. You can play a nice cascara with those things, and the dig can be your "rumba box." Any chance of getting an ice cold mojito in Australia? I'd like to come and check your conjunto out some time. It seems that there is always something going on when Abakua is at the tumbadoras!!


Saludos,



Berimbau

[ABAKUA]

hehehehe now that you mention it we did a rumba some time ago with Aboriginal people on didgeridoo and their own clave. But no, we dont incorporate it in our group hehehe.
Didgeridoos took turns in supporting the base and also quinteo. Fascinating instrument.

In the pics you see our lead singer, drummer, and fellow percussionist as well as myself. The rumba group is a side project we have, and try to get to gether as much as we can. Due to our involvment in other projects it sometimes makes it hard to get together like this.

As for a mojito, bro, you can get one any day of the week.
Any given night there is something happening, be it a bar/club with DJ or band performing somewhere. The scene is very lively here.

[windhorse]

I've played my didjeridu once with Rumba, and played right on the clave. It was pretty fun,, but then I had get back on the drum. The lips can't hold out near as long as the hands...

???

[pavloconga]

Dear Percomat,
Thanks for your comments and your questions.
Anyway, as Abakua said in a previous post, there is no "African Rumba". Well, not in the way that we know Cuban Rumba to be. But beyond the name/label 'Rumba' (which is really a name specific to Cuban music and dance) there are many, many rhythmic traditions in Africa - and some of them share some things in common with Cuban rhythms.

For example: most of the bell patterns/clavés that are played in Cuba are played much the same in Ghana too (PLEASE let's not get into a debate where these bell patterns originated!!- we could be here forever..). Having said that, there are many, many other bell patterns I heard in Ghana that I didn't hear in Cuba.

By the way, I have heard there is a strong influence of Cuban music in Senegal.

In answer to your question: "But I wonder how it was in Ghana, compared to Cuba, do they operate with rhythms the same way? Do they say for example that this a african rumba or??"

Well, I can only talk about my own experience of living and studying in these two cultures. It was my experience in Ghana that every rhythm has a specific purpose and place within the culture. It seems that there is a rhythm for every event in life - weddings, funerals, harvest time, birth of twins, spiritual purpose, to play for royalty, war, peace making, circumcision, young girls coming of age, etc etc or... just party time!

Every rhythm has its name and strictly speaking the kind of drums it is played on too. The big difference between the two countries for me was that being in Ghana was more like living in a traditional African village/community life (with very poor living conditions for most people) and being in Havana was like being in a big, vibrant (but materially poor), city with an incredible musical culture (and relatively better living conditions than Ghana).

So, in answer to your question, no one in Ghana ever said to me, "This is a rumba". Amongst the people I knew, there seemed to be little or no knowledge (or much interest for that matter) of rhythms from Cuba.

Instead, they might say, "Today, we will play Asafo". 'Asafo' is the name of a 12/8 rhythm from the Fanti/Akan people (yet being played by Ga people in this instance). 'Asafo' also means a large gathering of people going somewhere, even going to war for example.

If this rhythm is played on the right drums it would be played on these instruments: Djejewa, Prechewa and Abintima (though practically this doesn't happen all the time, usually they adapt the rhythm to what drums they have).

Interestingly, one day in Africa, at the end of a lesson, I played a basic Rumba Guaguanco on two drums with one hand and '2/3 rumba' clave with the other hand and my teacher improvised over the top. Though he didn't know I was playing a Cuban rhythm he seemed to know the right 'spots' to place his phrases. Did he play in Cuban rumba style? No way. But what he played still sounded great - he was just cookin' with other spices...

It was also my experience in Ghana that dance and the drum are very, very strongly connected. For every rhythm there is a unique dance which the soloist closely matches his playing with the movemnts of the dancers. It seemed they were tapped into something that is strongly connected to the original forms and purpose of the dances. It's a little hard to describe. They also were developing new ways of interpreting some of the traditional dances.

The other big difference in the societies is in the basic neccessities of life. Unfortunately, if you live as a citizen of Ghana (or many other countries - African or otherwise), and are sick and you can't afford medicine/hospital, or you have no one else to help you... well you may pay the ultimate price.
Contrast the situation in Cuba - by way of just one example - my teacher was quite sick one day (he is in his mid to late 60's). We got him to the hospital urgently, and though I don't want this to be a discussion about politics – he was treated under the Socialist system within a few hours for free and later released. This for me was a huge difference. People in Africa are dying for want of treatments that may cost only $10 in our money...

Yes, as you comment, my journeys to Ghana have been excellent - in Africa it seems like life is amplified - you can have some of the absolute best days of your life and other days can be just the opposite... but that's another story.

Anyway, thanks to everybody and peace, good health and blessings to all!

Pavlo



Edited By pavloconga on 1137149772

[davidpenalosa]

Allow me to repeat one of my mantras: Rumba epitomizes the Afro-Cuban rhythmic sensibilities.
It is distinctly Cuban, even though its origins can be found in the transplanted music of the Congolese and Efik people. Rumba aethetics have had a profound influence on popular music (mambo, songo, timba, etc) and even the transplanted African music (bata, bembe, etc). Rumba is to Cuba what samba is to Brazil. The various ethnic groups in Africa also have rhythms which epitomize their own specific rhythmic sensibilities. All of these musics share universal fundamentals, but I am talking about those qualities which make them unique.
-David, Dept. of Redundant Redundancies:)

[pavloconga]

Hi David,
I completely agree with what you say - you'll have no argument from me about that. My post above is a response to some specific questions posted earlier by Percomat.

best regards
Pavlo

[zaragemca]

Saludos,to the brother Pavloconga,there are thousands of CD's of cuban groups in Africa,you could go to the music/store and buy those,also videos of the many times that cuban groups have been performing there,Cuba is very known in Africa,here in Houston,(where there is a large community of Africans,they all know Cuba,when I told them,that I'm cuban,also one of my African students here in Houston,was from Ghana.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1137249795

[pavloconga]

Saludos,to the brother Pavloconga,there are thousands of CD's of cuban groups in Africa,you could go to the music/store and buy those,also videos of the many times that cuban groups have been performing there,Cuba is very known in Africa,here in Houston,(where there is a large community of Africans,they all know Cuba,when I told them,that I'm cuban,also one of my African students here in Houston,was from Ghana.Dr. Zaragemca

Querido hermano Zaragemca,
What I have tried to make clear in my posts is that I am simply relating my personal experience from living in a village situation in Ghana. I'm not really sure just what I have said that you are disagreeing with.

I do not doubt there are thousands upon thousands of CDs or videos of Cuban music in Africa. However, this should be put into context. Africa is a very, very large continent with many countries.

What needs to be understood is this – it's about POVERTY brother. In the village where I was, most people could not afford the luxury of buying CDs of Cuban music (even if they could find such a thing for sale!!) – or even a CD player to play them on.

It is said that "a picture may speak a thousand words" - please see my pictures below. I hope it helps to put our discussion into context.

with best regards and peace
Pavlo

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