Festival Internacional de la Rumba, Matanzas
June, 2001

Dedicated this festival to the 40th anniversary of the group Afrocuba de Matanzas, the 3 day annual event features intense rumba in the province that invented it -- no matter what they say in Havana! OK, we'll give the Habaneros a little credit... Actually, guaguanco, one of the types of rumba, is an invention of the Calle family in Matanzas -- they are of Efo origin in the Cross River Delta. The Efik and the Efo gave us Abakwa in Cuba, and you can see similarities between the rumba and some Abakwa dancing.

Note that the real Cuban rumba has sometimes been mistaken for son or some watered down American music. The real rumba is very African in style, with complex percussion and vocals. Some of the more famous rumba groups in Cuba include Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Clave y Guaguanco.

Pello and others in Afrocuba de Matanzas invented the Batarumba, a style of rumba that makes use of the Yoruba batá drums, a really stiking innovation.

Among the groups featured:

Afrocuba de Matanzas

Los Muñequitos de Matanzas

Arawa

Rumbero Maior

Columbia del Puerto - from the port of Cardenas, down the coast from Matanzas

Ile Ache - also from Cardenas

Oba Ilu - groups of youths, just back from a tour of Denmark. Includes some grandsons and nephews of Chacha and Goyito.

Madera - play Bricamo music, from the Calle family

Ojun Degara - an Arara group, consisting principally of the Baró family in Jovellanos

Congo Luanda - Congo group also from Jovellanos, just won first prize in Santiago last Spring.

Ganga - from Perico, a town beloved of Lydia Cabrera.

Milagroso

Radames y sus tambores - new group featuring outstanding professionals dedicated to the revival of old African forms. {Radames passed on, to our great sorrow]

All of these groups are steeped in African traditions. So hop on a plane and get down there! See Traveling to Cuba for some suggestions.