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Matanzas
vocal research- Palo, Makuta, Rumba Columbia 7/17/2019 Mark
Powers: "Researching the Bantu/Spanish lyrics of Palo, Makuta and Rumba Columbia
with Dolores Perez Herrera, Omara Leicea Perez and Israel Berriel Gonzalez
Matanzas, Cuba"
How Queen Nzinga of Angola fought and held off Portuguese control for over 30
years 12/17/2018 Face 2 Face Africa: "Legend has it that at the time of her
birth, Nzinga’s umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, the reason why she
was named Nzinga. A wise old woman also prophesied that she would become a great
queen later in life. Indeed, she was very smart and intelligent such that her
father took her with him to state meetings, functions and even battles."
Matanzas, un trozo de África en Cuba 11/26/2018 Cuba Ahora: "“La presencia
de esta amplia gama de religiones y culturas desarrolló en Matanzas uno de los
entornos más significativos de la mezcla de sus raíces. Surgieron así
denominaciones y grupos étnicos que manifestaron sus religiones a través del
renacimiento de sus creencias expresadas en la Regla de Osha o Santería de
origen Yoruba, la Regla Palo Monte de origen Bantú, la Regla Arará de origen
dahomeyano y la Regla Enklori Enyeni Abakúa de origen Calabar”, explicó Yoelkis
Torres Tápanes, líder del proyecto AfroAtenas."
In the world of the Malongo tradition 9/19/2018 Jamaica Gleaner: "Kumina
rituals brought to St Thomas, Jamaica, between 1838 and 1865 by Congolese
indentured workers are one such retention. However, in Cuba, the Congolese were
brought over as enslaved people. They openly practised their religions and
that's why the Congolese (Malongo) retentions are stronger in Cuba. They consist
of elements that are similar to Kumina. Recently, Family and Religion spoke with
Cuban Malongo priest, Andres Ramirez Machin (Tata NKisy), and his wife Elena
Diaz (Yaye Nganga), who are still in Jamaica, about the beliefs and philosophy
of the Malongo tradition (Congolese tradition) of which he has been a priest for
more than 30 years."
Bones Found in Pot at Airport Were Human Remains Used for Religious Rites:
Report 7/29/2018 NBC: "A pot filled with skull and teeth fragments found at
the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in April have been
identified by University of Florida anthropologists as human skulls used for
religious rites, the Sun Sentinel reports. The skulls were used for a Congolese
religion known as Palo Mayombe."
Cold War Navy SEAL Tells Story Of Clandestine Op Which Nearly Defeated Che’ In
The Congo 6/21/2018 CBS: "The CIA backed Cuban Congo Navy put a big dent in
the supply lines that crisscrossed Lake Tanganyika. In the process, the Cuban
Navy almost took out Che Guevara during a firefight in the middle of the lake.
Guevara was said to be making a dash across the lake to safety as the Castro
backed operation was eventually abandoned." [The Cuban operation continued for
years afterwards.]
Nkisi 3/16/2018 Tiny
Mix Tapes: "Alongside Chino Amobi and Angel-Ho, Nkisi is a co-founder of NON
Worldwide, an initiative whose raison d’etre is described as “a collective of
African artists and of the diaspora, using sound as their primary medium, to
articulate the visible and invisible structures that create binaries in society,
and in turn distribute power.” In this spirit, the SHAPE affiliate’s ethos and
music (including her DJ Kitoko project) are imbued with a certain punk
sensibility along with a political pushback against conformity. Buoyant yet
emotionally charged, her sound hovers between dream and the dance floor. Her
releases have appeared on Doomcore Records and MW Records Norway, with her
latest project being a massive three-part NON compilation, whose first
installment can be found here."
Al Compas de Cuba 6/17/2017 Conga Drums Tambores: "Classic footage from
Cuba, some very interesting scenarios and drums, especially the old tack heads."
Che Guevara in the Congo 4/1/2017 Jacobin: "Che Guevara's expedition in the
Congo, though ill-fated, stands as a crucial example of anti-imperialist
solidarity."
Fallece el sacerdote afrocubano Enriquito 3/24/2017 Cartas desde Cuba: "El
célebre sacerdote de las religiones afrocubanas Enrique Hernández Armenteros,
conocido popularmente como “Enriquito” o “Tata Nganga” y el de mayor edad de
Cuba, falleció el miércoles a los 99 años en el barrio La Hata del municipio
habanero Guanabacoa, que lo había declarado su “Hijo Ilustre”. El “babalawo”
(sacerdote) “Enriquito” era practicante de cuatro cultos de origen africano,
principalmente el Palo Monte (Palero), procedente del Congo."
Fallece ‘Enriquito’, el sacerdote mayor de la santería cubana 3/23/2017 Nuevo
Herald: "El célebre sacerdote de las religiones afrocubanas Enrique Hernández
Armenteros, conocido popularmente como “Enriquito” o “Tata Nganga” y el de mayor
edad de Cuba, falleció el miércoles a los 99 años en el barrio La Hata del
municipio habanero Guanabacoa, que lo había declarado su “Hijo Ilustre”. El
“babalawo” (sacerdote) “Enriquito” era practicante de cuatro cultos de origen
africano, principalmente el Palo Monte (Palero), procedente del Congo. Además
era miembro de la sociedad religiosa secreta y masculina Abakuá o Ñañiguismo,
como también se conoce en Cuba; era devoto de la religión Regla de Ocha en la
que estaba consagrado con el orisha Elegguá y pertenecía a la etnia Ifá, según
él mismo explicó en varias entrevistas."
Con toques de tambor batá despiden al babalawo cubano 'Enriquito' 3/23/2017 Nuevo
Herald: "Cientos de personas acompañan el jueves 23 de marzo de 2017, el féretro
de babalawo Enrique Hernández Armenteros, conocido popularmente como “Enriquito”
o “Tata Nganga” y el de mayor edad de Cuba, quien falleció el miércoles a los 99
años de edad en el barrio “La Hata”, en Guanabacoa, La Habana."
Caiga quien caiga: Cuando la brujería está por encima de la ideología 10/20/2016 La
Patilla: "Fue siempre -su gente- la que informaba- muchas veces con orgullo- que
Chávez creía y practicaba paralelamente la santería y la religión Palo Mayombe,
y que sus frecuentes viajes a Cuba, además de representar una oportunidad para
establecer alianzas y acuerdos con Fidel Castro, eran para hacerse ver por
babalawos, quienes “hipotéticamente” lo mantendrían “seguro” en su cargo e
intacto de las garras de sus enemigos."
The Ancient Malongo Ceremony 9/22/2016 Palo Mayombe: "Originally there was
an initiation ceremony within the Mayombe and Biyumba branches known as the
malongo ceremony. This was the first step for anyone interested in joining a
“house” or Munanso. Oftentimes, this was the only ceremony performed to an
individual and was considered all he or she would need as a ceremonial rite as
an ngangulero throughout his whole life. Occasionally the ceremony known as
malongo was performed to the individual the very same day he would go to
“consult” or “get read” by a Tata-nkisi."
'It’s the soul of Santiago': How to dance the conga in Cuba 7/27/2016 Telegraph,
UK: "On the sizzling streets of Santiago de Cuba, the reedy wail of a Chinese
trumpet pierces the sultry air. Its distinctive sound heralds one of the most
vibrant displays of music, colour, drumming and hip-swivelling in the Caribbean
– the conga, performed at festivals throughout the year and at the city’s annual
carnival. “It’s the soul of Santiago de Cuba,” said Félix Bandera Ble, director
of the city’s award-winning conga group, Los Hoyos. “For me, being a Santiaguero
means the conga; it is pure and you carry it in your heart.”
The roots and rhythms of the Congo 6/23/2016 Washington Times: "You may
think you don’t know anything about Congolese music. But if you’ve ever tapped
your foot to the irresistible beat of the rumba, you’ve experienced a national
tradition. Rumba originated in Cuba as a blend of African and Latin rhythms. The
World Music Network, in its article, “The Music of Congo,” describes the
Congolese rumba as “a musical form that hit a nerve throughout Africa and had a
bigger cumulative effect on Western dance floors than any other African music,”
and calls Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
“Africa’s undisputed musical heart.”"
Africa Should Follow Cuba's Lead: Senior Congolese Official 4/26/2016 teleSUR: "The
Congolese official is on an official visit to Cuba until April 28 following an
invitation made by Esteban Lazo, the president of the National Assembly of the
People's Power of Cuba."
Congolese music icon Papa Wemba dies on stage aged 66 4/25/2016 Euro
News: "Wemba was known in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the King of Rumba
Rock, pioneering a blend of African, Cuban and Western sounds."
Retrospective of Leading Cuban Artist Opens Saturday, Jan. 16, at Foosaner Art
Museum 1/11/2016 Florida Institute of Technology: "MELBOURNE, FLA. —
Caminos Transitados/Paths Taken: A Retrospective of Francisco Gordillo Arredondo
Baba Oñi, a new exhibition mounted exclusively at Florida Institute of
Technology’s Foosaner Art Museum, opens Saturday, Jan. 16."
Foosaner Art Museum Presents Caminos Transitados / Paths Taken 1/11/2016 WFIT: "Francisco
“Gordillo” Arredondo Baba Oñi’s artwork straddles two worlds – the contemporary
art market and Cuba’s subterranean mysticism. A highly skilled and
internationally acclaimed artist and a priest initiated into the Afrocuban
religion of Santeria, Gordillo paints a personal vision of his Congo and Yoruba
inheritance. His paintings embody a mythology that simultaneously divulges and
celebrates the island’s rich African spiritual legacy. Born in 1964, Gordillo
graduated from Havana’s famous San Alejandro Art Academy in 1988. Since then,
his work has been included in numerous group and individual exhibitions in Latin
America, Europe and Canada. This exhibition -- his first retrospective --
includes over fifty paintings and mixed media works from his twenty-five year
career."
In the world of the Malongo tradition 9/19/2015 Jamaica Gleaner: "Kumina
rituals brought to St Thomas, Jamaica, between 1838 and 1865 by Congolese
indentured workers are one such retention. However, in Cuba, the Congolese were
brought over as enslaved people. They openly practised their religions and
that's why the Congolese (Malongo) retentions are stronger in Cuba. They consist
of elements that are similar to Kumina. Recently, Family and Religion spoke with
Cuban Malongo priest, Andres Ramirez Machin (Tata NKisy), and his wife Elena
Diaz (Yaye Nganga), who are still in Jamaica, about the beliefs and philosophy
of the Malongo tradition (Congolese tradition) of which he has been a priest for
more than 30 years."
In the world of the Malongo tradition 9/19/2015 Jamaica Gleaner: "Recently,
Family and Religion spoke with Cuban Malongo priest, Andres Ramirez Machin (Tata
NKisy), and his wife Elena Diaz (Yaye Nganga), who are still in Jamaica, about
the beliefs and philosophy of the Malongo tradition (Congolese tradition) of
which he has been a priest for more than 30 years."
André
Petit ?? 9/17/2015 UN SUEÑO - CUBA DE MIS AMORES: "Este fue un personaje
muy contradictoria que contribuyo a la contaminación de las religiones
africanas, con la mezcla de rituales católicos, un mulato que aspiro a ser
blanco, que no fue sacerdote católico aunque lo aparentaba, que practico, casi
todas las religiones africanas y creo el amasijo que es hoy Kimbiza (El Palo es
Mayombe y Briyumba). Yo soy Tata arriba Nkisi Malongo que jura Kganga arriba
intoto . Tata Mundele"
Congolese singer Ricardo Lemvo bridges styles, cultures 9/12/2015 Boston
Globe: "Today, the great bandleaders of the 1960s are gone. But the role of what
scholars call the Black Atlantic, binding both sides of the ocean in dynamic
exchange, is as strong as ever. And Lemvo — from his base in Los Angeles — has
made it his mission not only to celebrate the Cuba-Congo connection, but to
broaden the scope to the sounds of Angola, Cape Verde, and beyond."
Exhibition Close-Up: Yoan Capote, Collective Unconscious 6/8/2015 Cuban Art
News: "While his perspective is Cuban, Capote’s influences are international. He
decided to title the show Collective Unconscious—a term coined by Carl Jung to
describe a part of the mind shared by all human beings—as a tribute to the Swiss
psychologist. “I was very influenced by Carl Jung, after I started to
investigate his writings,” Capote told the group. “I found a lot of inspiration
in his texts.”
Congo-Cuba in New York: Palo Mayombe Music, Dance & Religion 5/11/2015 City
University of New York: "Join leading scholars, priests, and performers of
Afro-Cuban Congo culture for enlightening presentations and discussions
exploring the ways music, dance, religion, and philosophy influence how a people
conceive of themselves, negotiate relationships with each other, and their
history. Participants will elaborate the ways practitioners surface notions of
warfare, identity, and power through drum and music practice. What theoretical
organizing frameworks surface through the music, dance, and religious practice
and what are their relationships to Congo, to Cuba, and to other
Congo-influenced practices such as Petwo in Haiti? What is unique to Palo
Mayombe and how does this impact current knowledge in Caribbean Studies, African
Diaspora Studies, Ethnomusicology, and Cultural Studies?"
Fifty years later; tracing revolutionary Che Guevara's 'failure' in DR Congo 4/22/2015 Mail
& Guardian, Africa: "“I was a simple soldier” in 1965, General Lwendema Dunia,
now in his 80s, says in a hut in South Kivu’s capital Bukavu, recalling how Che
“taught us how to make a revolution. He gave us military training and taught us
politics.” But “once we started to take from the people and trample on
revolutionary ideals… they left,” he said."
Interviews from Havana – Natalia Bolivar: Ethnologist, Writer, Painter 4/1/2015 teleSUR
English: "Natalia Bolivar was raised as a Catholic in an aristocratic family but
fought in the underground against the Batista dictatorship and went on to study
African religions. Her love for African culture began when she was a child
raised by a nanny from the Congo. She remembers the stories she told her and her
teachings that the earth, the stones and everything around her was sacred and
that she must live well with her surroundings. When Natalia took up the fight
against Batista, she put her experience with weapons to work and was involved in
a plot to kill the dictator. She was captured and tortured by attempted drowning
and beatings that left her with broken ribs and mangled ears. In the course of
the Cuban Revolution she has been able to pursue her ethnological studies,
writings and paintings, through which she defends the African culture that is
part of the Cuban identity."
Anniversary recalls Congo rescue by Miami Cubans 11/15/2014 Miami
Herald: "Fifty years ago, a group of Cuban exiles working for the CIA rescued
American hostages amid fierce firefights in the Congo. Sunday, some of the
surviving warriors and hostages will reunite in Miami."
Shedding light on a secret sect 10/12/2014 Jamaica Gleaner: "In the
mysterious, cryptic world of the occult, Palo Mayombe stands out. It's a faith
noted for its secrecy, sheer energy, colour and mystical aura. With origins in
the Congo, Africa, this mystical religious practice was brought to the region by
slaves who were forcibly uprooted from their homes and sent to Cuba. There is an
unmistakable fear that 'Palo' elicits. The tata or priest is said to hold the
keys to the Cosmos, united with the myriad spirits that impact our lives. Such
an imperial and revered role has long been bestowed on Tata Dane Nsasi who
carries the title Nfumo-Ngubula - Tata Nganga, the highest position attainable
in Palo Mayombe."
Hip Deep Angola 4: The Cuban Intervention in Angola 10/3/2014 Afropop
Worldwide: "Through music, interviews, and historical radio clips, producer Ned
Sublette, author of Cuba and Its Music, tells the story of Cuba’s massive
commitment in Africa, from the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and the subsequent
independence of Congo, to the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. We’ll talk to
guest scholar Piero Gleijeses, foreign policy specialist at Johns Hopkins
University School of Advanced International Studies and author of Conflicting
Missions: Havana, Washington, and Africa 1959-1976 and the forthcoming Visions
of Freedom, and to Marissa Moorman, author of the forthcoming Tuning in to
Nation: Radio, State Power, and the Cold War in Angola, 1933-2002, who will
share with us rare archival recordings."
Celebran en Cuba Día de África 5/27/2014 Granma: "Seguiremos honrando la
memoria de los cientos de miles de combatientes internacionalistas que
desinteresadamente pelearon por la dignidad y la libertad del hombre africano,
afirmó este martes en La Habana el embajador de la República del Congo y decano
del cuerpo diplomático del continente en Cuba, Pascal Onguemby."
Los
munequitos de matanzas Un congo 2014 4/6/2014 YouTube
Palo Monte en la Feria del Libro 2/18/2014 Negra Cubana: "La Editorial Jose
Martí presentará durante la 23 Feria del Libro Cuba 2014, el texto Ta Makuende
Yaya y las reglas de palo monte“, de las investigadoras Natalia Bolívar y Carmen
González."
Remembering my Bisabuela 10/13/2013 Saravá y Aché: Pedro Perez-Sarduy
remembers his great-grandmother who came over from the Congo as a child slave,
and his grandmother of Yoruba heritage.
LA REGLA DE PALO MONTE (UN ACERCAMIENTO A LA BANTUIDAD CUBANA) 9/30/2013 UNEAC: "El
libro del etnólogo Jesús Fuentes, publicado por Unión, obtuvo el Premio Anual de
la Crítica Científico-Técnica, primer galardón de su género recibido por un
escritor cienfueguero…"
Palo: Afro-Caribbean Religion With Sacrifices 9/19/2013 Miami New
Times: "But he insists Palo is part of a beautiful, rich tradition that can be
used to heal. Violence, however, is never advocated. There is still a fight for
recognition and visibility, though. "There are still many people afraid to say
this is what they practice, this is what they believe," he says. "Paleros are
everywhere, but they're just afraid to come out into the light."
The Fiesta of the
Kinfuiti en Mariel, Cuba 8/20/2013 Havana Times: "Cuba’s Saint Anthony of
Padua or Kinfuiti festivities are a religious celebration organized in the town
of Pueblo Nuevo, Quiebra Hacha, Mariel. The tradition is maintained by the
Robaina, Sandoval, Pedro Cuesta, Lasa and Larrinaga families, descendants of
several communities of African slaves (chiefly of the Conga and Lucumi tribes)
which inhabited the region during colonial times."
La Habana será sede del Congo Globo Voice 8/19/2013 Cayo Hueso: "El Comité
organizador está conformado por La Casa de África de La Habana, representada por
Alberto Granado, su director; la Asociación de Amistad Cubano-Africana, para lo
que compareció su presidente Victor Dreke Cruz; la MsC. Deyni Terry Abreu,
representante legal en Cuba de Minnesota Yoruba Cuba y directora general de
Alianza Unidad Racial,y Ofunshi Obá Kosó, promotor directo del proyecto Crisis
del Congo y Presidente de Minnesota Yoruba-Cuba."
La Habana será sede del Congo Globo Voice 8/12/2013 Negra Cubana: "Congo
Globo Voice realiza un llamado a la defensa del Congo (Kinshaza o Democrático),
para lo que se proponen acciones como la llamada ¨Apaguen los celulares¨, dedica
a las victimas del saqueo de los minerales en ese país de África. Del mismo
modo, se prevee la realización de un panel para discutir los efectos de la
explotación minera en el Congo: además se incluirá la temática de la violencia
sexual a partir del análisis de la violación como arma de la guerra. El Comité
organizador está conformado por La Casa de África de La Habana, representada por
Alberto Granado, su director; la Asociación de Amistad Cubano-Africana, para lo
que compareció su presidente Victor Dreke Cruz; la MsC. Deyni Terry Abreu,
representante legal en Cuba de Minnesota Yoruba Cuba y directora general de
Alianza Unidad Racial,y Ofunshi Obá Kosó, promotor directo del proyecto Crisis
del Congo y Presidente de Minnesota Yoruba-Cuba."
La Habana será sede del Congo Globo Voice 8/12/2013 Negra Cubana: "Congo
Globo Voice realiza un llamado a la defensa del Congo (Kinshaza o Democrático),
para lo que se proponen acciones como la llamada ¨Apaguen los celulares¨, dedica
a las victimas del saqueo de los minerales en ese país de África. Del mismo
modo, se prevee la realización de un panel para discutir los efectos de la
explotación minera en el Congo: además se incluirá la temática de la violencia
sexual a partir del análisis de la violación como arma de la guerra."
Cubans Speak of
Their Journey to Their Past 7/17/2013 Havana Times: "My grandmother was a
very close friend of Florinda Diago’s, who was a descendant of Josefa. Other
members of the Ganga tribe, the precursors of these traditions in Cuba, were in
the same ship that brought her from Africa. These traditions were passed on to
me through my grandmother and aunt. I’ve known the dances, the songs and the
ritual beating of the drums since I was a kid, because I was raised within the
traditions, though I’m not a member of the Ganga Longoba African culture group.
My aunt is always singing traditional songs and my grandmother used to tell me
many stories from the old country. In Mukpangumba, I played the drums and
danced. I don’t know the exact place in Africa my ancestors lived. Orlando
Herrera, Perico’s former city historian, used to say we must have come from
Nigeria or the Congo, because of our physical features."
UN ESTUDIO DEL COMPONENTE RELIGIOSO BANTÚ 2/27/2013 UNEAC: "Entre las
actividades de la Feria se anuncia el sábado 2 de febrero, a las dos de la
tarde, en el espacio que ocupa la Tarde de la Rumba en los Jardines de la UNEAC,
la presentación del libro La Regla de Palo Monte. Un acercamiento a la bantuidad
cubana, del cienfueguero Jesús Fuentes Guerra, por la escritora Grisel Gómez
Gómez. Guerra es miembro de la UNEAC, de la Asamblea Cubana de Estudios
Germanísticos (ACEG) y representante de la Fundación Fernando Ortiz en
Cienfuegos."
Acceso exclusivo a ritual de Palo Monte en Cuba 2/6/2013 Univision: con
video - "Muy pocas veces las cámaras de video tienen acceso a un ritual de Palo
Monte, nombre por el que se conoce a una religión afrocubana cuyos orígenes se
remontan a la época de la esclavitud y a la migración forzada de miles de
esclavos desde la región del Congo africano."
Concierto de compañía cubana Yoruba Andabo en Nueva York 11/30/2012 CMBQ: "La
prestigiosa compañía cubana de música y danza Yoruba Andabo ofrecerá este
viernes un concierto en el Carnegie Hall, una de las salas de teatro más
importantes de América, como parte del Festival Voces de Latinoamérica."
Sacerdote afrocubano en documental de Roberto Chile 12/19/2011 Cubahora: "Uno
de los documentales cubanos que más expectativas despertaron en el público
durante la edición 33 del Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano
fue Soy Tata Nganga, del realizador Roberto Chile. Con un montaje ágil y
dinámico —como caracteriza a la poética de Chile en los últimos años-, Soy Tata
Nganga retrata, durante 20 minutos, la vida de Enriquito Hernández Armenteros,
nonagenario sacerdote de las religiones afrocubanas conocido como Enriquito el
de la Hata, quien habita en la barriada habanera de Guanabacoa."
Soy Tata Nganga: lo inmenso de las cosas sencillas (+ Fotos) 10/21/2011 CubaDebate: "El
motivo lo justificaba plenamente: la premiere del documental Soy Tata Nganga,
cinta en la cual afloran audacia, alegría, pasión, fervor, añoranzas,
musicalidad, pertenencia. es como el viaje imaginario al Paraíso Espiritual que
el artista del lente Roberto Chile, de vasta obra, nos regala en esta obra
nacida más de su corazón, que de su ojo avizor."
Macua 1/31/2011 Scribd: by Heriberto Feraudy, a treatise on the Macua, a
Bantu group who has a cabildo in the province of Matanzas.
Todd Ramon Ochoa’s
Society of the Dead 12/21/2010 Ethnocuba: "Through crystalline and
evocative prose, Ochoa writes of the lives of his two main Palo teachers –
Isidra and Rodolfo – and the lessons they impart to him. I was struck by the
craft of Ochoa’s own writing, an eloquent counterpoint to his argument that Palo
seeks power in both the art of crafting material objects as well as the
discursive art of creating “shapes of fear."
PRENDAS-NGANGAS-ENQUISOS: Turbulence and the Influence of the Dead in
Cuban-Kongo Material Culture 8/1/2010 Cultural Anthropology: "Cuban-Kongo
praise of the dead in Havana turns insistently around complex agglomerations of
materials called “prendas,”“ngangas,” and “enquisos.” This article addresses the
ontological status of “prendas-ngangas-enquisos,” which practitioners of
Cuban-Kongo affliction practices care for as entities that determine the very
possibility of their healing and harming craft. Cuban-Kongo societies of
affliction, in Havana collectively referred to as “Palo,” stake their claim to
influence others in and through these entities."
Ñaña Sere 7/14/2010 Cuba
Calabar Radio: "Arsenio Rodriguez is one of Cubas most important composers. He
was famous for many innovations in Cuban music such as the montuno section of
the son and the Conjunto format, but most importantly for his way of
incorporating afro-cuban folkoric music traditions especially Congo and Carabali
into his music."
Cuba in Afro-Cuban Folk Dances 9/11/2009 Cuba Now: "The Folk Ballet of
Trinidad and Leyenda Folk keep alive the roots of African culture dating back to
the colonial period. The Folk Ballet of Trinidad has always based its spectacles
on the village’s preserved traditions. Its efforts to rescue and preserve the
locality’s most genuine dances and songs have been extolled by Cuban and foreign
experts. Cuba is rich in dances of African origin. Brought by slaves of
different ethnic groups, the dance became an essential element of national
culture, through the transculturation of African and Spanish components. The
Folk Ballet of Trinidad, with its 45 years of existence, corroborates that
tradition. ...The dance group is formed by twenty artists, including dancers,
percussionists, and singers. It has a wide Yoruba and Congo repertoire, also
comprising pieces of the Cuban popular music. The group has also become a place
reintegrating people into society, as it was founded with youth of improper
behaviors. The Folk Ballet of Trinidad and Leyenda Folk currently preserve the
roots of African culture dating back to the colonial period when slaves, having
no other fun than their own dances and music, worshiped their gods."
Murió Andriol Stevens, destacado líder religioso santiaguero. 9/9/2009 Case
Del Caribe: "Falleció este 3 de Septiembre en santiago de Cuba, a la edad de 36
años Andriol Stivens Portuondo, Santero (hijo de Argayú) y Tata Nganga,
Sacerdote de la Regla Palo o Regla Conga, líder del Cabildo San Benito de
Palermo (Congo Siete Rayos Mundo Lima Acaba Cuento), creado por su padrino y
tío, el Sacerdote Mayor (Tata Nkisi Malongo) Vicente Portuondo."
Rezo Goram 2009 en Agón Gorí Yezam Manter Ní Bawajdda (Vaticinio o Letra del Año
2009), 12/29/2008 AfroCubaWeb: por Manuel Rivero Glean - "Regla de Ozaín -
El Dr. D. I. Cordero fue iniciado en 1977 en la región de N´noki, rivera sur del
río Zaire, en la actual provincia de M´Banza Congo, República de Angola, como
Ala Wowwo (Venerable), Sumo Sacerdote de la Regla de Ozaín, por el Soba Olorí
M´Benya Bakinguela, nativo y patriarca religioso en esta región."
Rezo Goram 2009 - En Agon Gori Yezam Manter Ni Bawajdda 12/28/2008 AfroCubaWeb: por
Manuel Rivero Glean - "El Proyecto Antropológico de Rescate, preservación y
revitalización de la Regla de Ozain en Cuba; en la persona del Yurr Max
Venerable Durggom Suppra Dr. En Ciencias Teológicas, Dagoberto Isaac Cordero. Se
reunieron el día 28 de diciembre de 2008 en el Templo “Ori Eiyé Keiyé”, sito en
la calle Sitios#58 e/Rayo y San Nicolás, Centro Habana. Telf.: 861-1094. Para
efectuar el Rezo Goram 2009. Presidido por el Concilio de Venerables Durggon
Suppra y refirmado por el Concilio de Olories ni Ozain en Bawajdda."
Bantu Survival in the Cuban “Lengua de Mayombe” 9/1/2008 Islas
Papa
Wendo - Influential Congolese musician who was both lionised and jailed by
politicians 8/1/2008 Guardian: "Now known as Wendo, and then Papa Wendo, he
recorded his first massive hit, Marie-Louise, in 1948. A light, charming and
lilting song, it became so popular that it was credited with magical powers,
with devotees claiming that it could heal the sick and raise the dead - to the
concern of the church and the Belgian authorities, who had him arrested. It
turned out to be a good career move, for Wendo commented later that "when I got
out of prison, that song Marie-Louise became even more popular". Wendo, and the
artists he inspired, produced new popular music that cut right across the
Congo's complex ethnic barriers by mixing local traditional songs with the
styles developed by African slaves who had been transported to Cuba. This new
Congolese style, rumba, would provide the soundtrack for that brief, hopeful,
era in Congolese history, as the country moved towards independence in the late
1950s. Though never actively involved in politics, Wendo was a close friend of
Patrice Lumumba, the radical politician who became the Congo's first prime
minister in June 1960. Wendo insisted that Lumumba would come to listen to his
songs, not to discuss politics."
16th Benny Moré Festival of Popular Music 9/19/2007 Cuba Now: "The event’s
program will start at 9:00 a.m. of the 19th, with the traditional peregrination
of locals and visitors to the cemetery of Lajas, where Benny Moré is buried.
This year, his grave will be declared a National Monument. The Congos of San
Antonio’s Casino will also be declared a National Monument during the second day
of the Festival. This place treasures the cultural traditions that were
inherited from Africa and, according to the local inhabitants, it was right
there where Benny first received his musical influences."
Afro-Cuba Music Anthology Released 7/7/2007 Prensa Latina: "The most
complete anthology of Afro Cuban music was launched today by the Musical
Recordings and Editions institution (EGREM). During the event in the Africa
House in Old Havana, considered Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, musicologist
Olavo Alen described the collection of 10 CDs of the best players of the genre.
The recordings include ancient Afro-Cuban songs, Oru de Igbodu, Iyesa, arara,
tambor yuca, bembe, tumba francesa, toque de guiros, congos and Abakua. Olavo
Alen explained that the purpose of the project was to rescue music previously
recorded in Guantanamo, center of this musical form. Musicologist Maria Teresa
Linares described the collection as "unprecedented" due to its testimonial value
and recalled that it was also homage to the deceased well-known researchers and
musicians, such as Fernando Ortiz and Argeliers Leon."
Kongo Cruzado: Cuban Lukumi and Kongo Identities in the Art of Francisco
"Gordillo" Arrendondo 9/16/2006 AfroCubaWeb: by Ivor Miller
Kekele merges the music of Congo and Cuba 7/28/2006 Boston Globe: "In the
beginning there was a rhythm. It crossed the Atlantic with the slave trade and
came to thrive in Cuba. About 70 years ago, it found its way back to Congo
(etched into the grooves of Cuban 78s), where most of the Cuban slaves had come
from in the first place. The rhythm was rumba, and once back in Congo it
changed, eventually producing soukous , the high-energy Congolese pop of recent
decades, with its segments of frenetic guitar riffs and barked-out audience
exhortations. But memories of a sweet transition period endure: a time, mainly
in the 1960s, when nations like Congo celebrated their newly achieved
independence to the sway of a rumba beat. Kekele is an all-star operation: Every
member played in the 1960s and 1970s with masters such as Franco and Tabu Ley
Rochereau . Guitarist Papa Noel has been on the scene since the 1950s. Three
members were in the band 4 Étoiles . When all these veterans came together in
2000 to form Kekele -- the name refers to a creeping jungle plant -- it was a
bit like the birth of the Buena Vista Social Club, only without an outside
instigator. ``Our approach is very simple," says mellifluous singer Loko
``Djeskain" Massengo , reached during a tour stop in Montreal. ``We come from a
generation that was immersed in rumba. Considering that rumba is not just a
music but a whole culture, we need to bring it back into today's fashion."
The folkloric ballet of Trinidad: Sponge for traditions 5/26/2004 Cubarte
Newsletter: "The only professional dance company, that exists in the province
will be 41 years old in 2004, with the enchantment to condense all types of the
Trinidad culture, fundamentally its deepest root, the black congos, awarded with
the Memoria Viva prize.in 1997, and symbol of the Sancti Spiritus culture; the
group maintains the spectacles several nights during the week in its Palenque,
located in the heart of the Villa."
Lemvo blends sounds of Africa and Cuba 5/7/2004 Contra Costa Times: "Since
he founded Makina Loca in 1990, Lemvo has pioneered an uncategorizable sound
that's both essentially African and Latin, drawing equally on Cuban son montuno
and Congolese soukous, with a dash of Latin jazz and funk thrown in for good
measure. In many ways, the seeds of his sound were planted during the restless
nights of his youth. Growing up in Kinshasa in the 1960s, Lemvo was lulled to
sleep in his bed by the surging Cuban and Congolese dance music wafting up from
a bar next door. Like much of West Africa at the time, the cosmopolitan capital
of the huge country then known as Zaire (and now as the war-torn Democratic
Republic of Congo) was awash with Cuban music, which was embraced by West
Africans who recognized their diaspora kin through the Afro-Caribbean rhythms."
"
Historical
research that reads like a novel 2/7/2003 Granma: "ITALIAN Piero Gleijeses
is professor of Foreign Policy and Latin American Studies at John Hopkins
University in the United States. He is also a researcher. These two aspects led
the historian to ask himself several years ago why Cuba became involved in
Africa; the answer to that question is Conflicting Missions. Havana, Washington
y Africa. 1959-1976… For General Harry Villegas — known among Che’s guerrilla as
"El Pombo" — presenting Gleijeses’ book at the Havana Book Fair is an almost
family event. "I’ve met half my guerrilla group, including Víctor Dreke, Urbano,
and friends from the Congo and Angola because of this book."
Victor Dreke, Che's
second in command in the Congo, on US Tour 11/13/2002 AfroCubaWeb: "Dreke
was also one of the commanders of the fight against the counterrevolutionary
bands, backed by the CIA, in the Escambray mountains of central Cuba from
1960-1965. In 1965, Dreke served as second in command under Ernesto Che Guevara
in the Congo. More than 100 Cuban volunteers went to the Congo at the request of
leaders of the national liberation movement there who were followers of Patrice
Lumumba, the assassinated leader of the Congo's fight for independence. This
experience laid the basis for the Cubans to aid other liberation struggles -- in
Angola, Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere in Africa."
Invasor front page
with History of Che in the Congo. 8/26/2002 Invasor: scroll down to the end
to look over the stories of the Che in the Congo - " Los hombres de Tatu - Desde
la mirada de una joven - La traductora - El Che era capaz de hacer lo que pedía
a otros que hicieran - Pombo, el escolta del Che - El Che educaba con el ejemplo
- Como caído del cielo - "Teté, no traiciones" - De la mano del Che - Un hombre
extraordinario."
Los hombres de Tatu 8/26/2002 Invasor: "Víctor Dreke, uno de los
combatientes que acompañó al Che al Congo, narra algunos de los momentos de
aquella histórica gesta. Este trabajo fue extraído de la revista Somos Jóvenes
digital."
LA RUMBA, ¿GÉNERO DE ORIGEN GANGÁ? 8/1/2002 Jiribilla: "Así Raúl Martínez,
en su artículo La Rumba en la Provincia de Matanzas, sostiene: “Pero de todas
estas culturas traídas por el africano, las que más influyeron en la rumba
matancera fueron las de origen congo y gangá. La influencia de elementos
musicales y danzarios producto de estas dos raíces no solo se observa en los
rumberos del campo, sino también es de fácil reconocimiento en las creaciones de
los rumberos de la ciudad...”
El vocabulario congo de Lydia Cabrera 11/25/2001 El Nuevo Herald, Miami
www.nsasi.com in NY
www.ecured.cu/Regla_de_Palo_Monte
Diccionario de la lengua conga residual en Cuba, 1997, Teodoro Diaz Fabelo
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