Info For Yous African Descendants Inwards Venezuela (Afro-Venezuelans)

Afro-Venezuelan are descendants of Africans inwards Venezuela. They are estimated to live at 1 meg together with tend to cluster inwards Barlovento inwards Miranda State, although they tin live found all over the country. Afro-Venezuelans are hard to topographic point due to strong racial admixture inwards the population. The statement that at that topographic point is no racism together with everyone is equal is a mutual subject repeated inwards Venezuela but questionable.

                                  Afro-Venezuelans  
 It falls apartment when i observes most inwards the slums are of African descent together with with the notion of whitening, of assimilating to white cultural norms together with values, beingness presented every bit progress together with advancement. Much piece of work has been done studying the culture, tradition, folklore of Afro-Venezuelan, offset with Miguel Acosta Saignes, inwards the 1960s. According to the in conclusion results of the "XIV Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda" at to the lowest degree 952,978 inhabitants (3,5%) are considered Blacks together with Afro-Descendants.

                            Ainett Stephens is an Afro-Venezuelan. She is a notable showgirl, fashion together with nude model, together with tv personality/host. They nickname her "La Gatta Nera" (The Black Cat...go fig) because of the dark catsuit she wears every bit the showgirl on the Italian TV present Il Mercante inwards fiera. They also nicknamed her the "Naomi Campbell of South America"

The foremost African slaves inwards Venezuela were Ewe-Fon, brought inwards 1528 past times the Welsers, German linguistic communication bankers granted a special concession to settle together with exploit western Venezuela. Portuguese, French, together with English linguistic communication slave ships continued to pick out Africans of various origins, primarily Bantu from the Congo together with Republic of Angola together with Manding from the Gold Coast, until the offset of the nineteenth century. The slave merchandise inwards Venezuela ended before Yoruba peoples were brought to the New World, distinguishing Venezuela's slave population from that of Republic of Cuba together with Brazil. Slaves were treated every bit units of commerce, called pieza de india inwards reference to their physical size together with potential for hard labor.

                   Little Afro-Venezuelan girls

During the sixteenth century, slaves were brought to piece of work inwards the copper mines inwards Coro together with Buría (Yaracuy) together with to Isla Margarita together with Cumaná for pearl diving together with fishing. Small-scale agricultural plantations were also established inwards Venezuela, especially inwards the regions surrounding Caracas. In the eighteenth century large shipments of slaves were brought to Barlovento to back upwards the burgeoning cacao manufacture together with to the carbohydrate plantations inwards Zulia, around Lake Maracaibo. Venezuela's slave population comprised 1.3 percentage of the total slave merchandise inwards the New World, compared with 38.1 percentage for Brazil, 7.3 percentage for Cuba, together with 4.5 percentage for the U.S. (Brandt 1978, 8).
http://www.everyculture.com/South-America/Afro-Venezuelans-History-and-Cultural-Relations.html#ixzz2DTKUo6vR

Demystifying Africa's Absence inwards Venezuelan History together with Culture

In 1985, I made my foremost trip to the Congo-Brazzaville inwards search of information most Venezuela's historical human relationship with Central Africa. My purpose was to seek information to demystify the African, specially the dominant Central African Bantu, presence inwards Venezuela inwards monastic tell to create total inwards the African absence inwards the construction of our national identity.[1] This was an of import job since the official versions of Venezuelan history, akin to the histories of the repose of so-called Latin America, trim down Africa's con­tributions mainly to drums together with "witchcraft." Many attribute what they consider the ir­rational demeanour of Latin America's leaders to their "magical feel of reality," a legacy presumably inherited through the thorax milk of the enslaved ayas negras, the Black "mammies" responsible for their socialization, "such that when they took power, they reproduced this magical concept of reality.[2]

From 1937 to the present, Arturo Uslar Pietri, the celebrated Venezuelan author with the greatest influence on the white elite, has kept this official discourse live inwards his writ­ings together with his addresses to Venezuelan intellectuals concerning issues of modernity together with the nation. Uslar Pietri's premise is that "Blacks did non arrive" inwards Venezuela "with a civilization that visibly affected the construction of our national identity."[3] He asserts that "Blacks did non brand a racial contribution beneficial to the nation. Our racial blend has non enabled us to top the original ingredients. In full general terms, those members of what nosotros mightiness telephone telephone the electrical flow Venezuelan race are every bit incapable of comprehending modern together with dynamic concepts of piece of work every bit were their ancestors. This way that if nosotros cannot substan­tially modify the ethnic composition of our population, it volition live virtually impossible to modify the course of instruction of our history together with to brand our province a modern nation."[4]

When I began to empathize the nature of this hegemonic topographic point inwards Venezuela's his­torical discourse, a perspective imposed inwards compulsory schoolhouse curricula, together with became aware of how this dot of sentiment negatively affected Afro-Venezuelans, I felt obliged to deconstruct together with reconstruct the discourse, or actually the absence thereof, most the Africanity of Venezuela's national formation. This meant that my version of Afro-­Venezuelan history would have got to serve to combat both the racism expressed inwards school­books together with the trauma of internalized racism for the Afro-Venezuelan community.

The words of my grandmothers, traditionalist elders born inwards the nineteenth century inwards San Jose de Barlovento, i of the Black communities inwards the subregion of Barlovento inwards the province of Miranda, offered me an alternative source of our history, i that con­tradicted that of my formal education. Their words inspired me—their stories, songs, together with lyric poems. Our daily life exterior of schoolhouse also inspired me. I realized that our oral traditions had been banished from the classroom inwards the involvement of creating a social scientific discipline computer program that reproduced official versions of Venezuelan history that endorsed the stories of conquering Europeans. I also became aware of just how we, the "oth­ers," were erased from the history, geography, music, together with cultural curricula taught inwards the nation's schools.

My foremost stair was to investigate seventeenth-, eighteenth-, together with nineteenth-century documentary prove inwards the national archives. I went to the same sources used past times those who created together with defended the official historical narratives.[5] My side past times side job was to decode the declarations, the discourse, of runaway Africans-cimarrones/maroons, who had been captured together with brutally tortured inwards their efforts to resist enslavement, making al­lowances, of course, for the demeaning together with insulting tone of these sources.[6]

The information led me to classify cimarronaje/marooning as either passive or active. Passive marooning refers to those ways inwards which Africans together with their descendants fought against their enslavement inwards colonial contexts past times taking payoff of available institutional re­sources, such every bit the constabulary together with the Catholic church. Beginning inwards the middle of the eigh­teenth century, for example, enslaved people could, if they amassed adequate resources, buy their ain freedom, or fifty-fifty that of babies inwards the wombs of enslaved mothers; or they could "inherit" their liberty if their owners made such provisions inwards their wills.

Active marooning refers to enslaved people fighting straight against the organization of slavery inwards monastic tell to reclaim their liberty at whatsoever cost. This active resistance to the dif­ferent modalities of colonial oppression past times Africans together with their descendants filled many archival files, which clearly indicated that active marooning signified a sustained poli­tics every bit good every bit a concept of anticolonial liberation. As such, the African contribution to the Venezuelan land was both moral together with political.

We regain prove of this moral together with political action inwards the archival documentation concerning Miguel Luango, for example, who headed a rebellion of enslaved people inwards Caracas inwards 1749. Luango, whose call refers to his Central African origins (Africans of­ten beingness named for their points of divergence from the continent), demanded that the colonial authorities constitute a non-racist government. Had this rebellion succeeded, ad­ministrative posts were to live assigned to Francisco Loango every bit lieutenant general, Manuel Loango every bit mayor, together with Simón Loango every bit attorney general.[7]

Already offset inwards 1552, with the rebellion headed past times "El Negro" Miguel inwards the Buria Mountains, inwards the 1749 Kongo together with Loango Rebellion inwards Caracas, together with after inwards the 1795 uprising instigated past times a Loango adult man called Cocofio together with led past times Jose Leonardo Chirinos, nosotros catch prove for the construction of a specifically African thought of "inde­pendence" inwards Venezuela. This thought was distinct from what Francisco de Miranda, the "precursor of Venezuelan independence," intended every bit the incipient nation's moral together with political imperative. Miranda preferred to capitulate to the Castilian Crown, rather than strike an alliance with the Black insurgents inwards the Barlovento valleys, for fearfulness that Venezuela would larn some other Black maroon commonwealth similar Haiti, the land where independence for the entire population was born inwards the Americas.[8]

Even Simón Bolivar, the "Liberator" of 5 South American nations—Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, together with Ecuador—included abolition every bit portion of his platform for national liberation inwards 1816.[9] But this was conditional freedom, together with presently after the wars of independence had subsided, previously enslaved people were reenslaved. Provoked to indignation, they increased their marooning. Reneging on abolition during the inde­pendence era was consistent with the Eurocentric notions of Venezuela's white creole "paladins of liberty," who could non have got the insurgent together with to a greater extent than consummate ideal of liberty contributed past times the African rebels whose quests for liberty had helped to destabilize together with defeat the Castilian colonial regime.

Reconstructing this other history also meant elaborating strategies to demystify the erasure of the Africanity of Venezuela’s national formation, which remains i of my principal preoccupations. This is a full general job inwards Latin American together with Caribbean Area his­toriography. When Black insurrection erupted at the terminate of the eighteenth century, inwards was explained every bit the production of French revolutionary thinking, hence the cliche "Black Jacobins." This idea, which is the focus of Marxist historian Federico Brito Figueroa's book, El problema tierra y esclavos en la historia de Venezuela, is historically inaccurate.[10]

Long before the French decreed liberty, egalité, et fraternité, Africans imprisoned inwards cacao, sugarcane, together with cotton fiber fields inwards the Americas were already revolting against their exploitation. They rallied against oppression together with exploitation based on peel color together with social topographic point together with inwards favor of human redemption. This tendency had been evident past times the offset of the seventeenth century with the Quilombo dos Palmares inwards Brazil together with Yanga Rebellion leading to the palenque (maroon community) of San Lorenzo de los Negros, at i time known every bit Yanga, inwards Mexico. These initial rebellions that led to the creation of multiethnic costless maroon communities were led past times Central African Bantu-speaking people. The names of leaders similar Zumbi of Palmares inwards Brazil, Yanga inwards Mexico, together with the Loangos inwards Venezuela, indicate their origins.

Rethinking history to demystify Africa's political together with moral contributions to the Americas, together with pursuing this describe of enquiry into both comparative marooning together with the contributions to "the thought of independence" inwards the Americas past times Africans together with their de­scendants, is an of import task. We must debunk the dishonest together with inconsistent his­torical discourses that assume Eurocentric hegemonic potency together with ignore together with distort ­African contributions to the formation of the American nations. Unraveling hegemonic discourses of the "other"—discourses most descendants of Africans the ground over—­has been together with continues to live necessary.

If, every bit Marcus Garvey said, history is a tree with roots, a tree that falls when nosotros disavow it, together with then civilization is the body of a tree lush inwards leaves. According to the eminent Senegalese scholar Cheikh Anta Diop, historical factors are "the cultural cement that brings together the elements of a people's existence, forming a oneness every bit a number of the feel of lived historical continuity that a collectivity shares."[11] And some other extraordinary African thinker, Amilcar Cabral of Guinea-Bissau, asserted that "Culture, despite what ever may live the ideological or idealistic characteristics of its manifestations, is hence an essential chemical constituent of history, similar a bloom that springs forth from a plant."[12] The doubled term "history-culture" is indispensable when nosotros sketch the procedure im­plicit inwards our reconceptualization of the Afro-Venezuelan together with Venezuelan, inwards fact the American story.

The civilization of Africans together with their descendants inwards the Americas reflects a history of sur­vival, a survival that has been possible because of processes that have got been, together with go on to live both painful together with triumphant. The problematic representational politics that disregard the body every bit a site of cultural facial expression strength a rapprochement to non only what I characterize every bit a "culture of resistance," but also to our ain cultures of origin. In these nosotros tin regain ways of reconceptualizing ourselves inwards a contemporary way that makes organic cultural sense, given our shared Bantu heritage.

The real linguistic communication nosotros utilisation to depict our bodies' life forces tin live a commutation inwards recon­ceptualizing ourselves every bit African descendants. According to interviews I conducted with ngangas, traditional healers, inwards various regions of the Republic of the Congo, the body is constituted of iv substantial elements: the nitu, or physical body, the menga, or blood the moyo, or eternal soul, together with the mfumu kutu,or double or shadow soul inwards Kikongo, the linguistic communication of the Kongo or Bakongo people.[13] The nitu is a form of box inwards which ancestral spirits dwell. The menga, the motor regulation of life whose vital center, the heart, is the topographic point of the soul, thus blood sacrifices play the role of liberating pow­erful forces during transcendent ceremonies. The moyo represents the regulation of re­sistance to death, together with the mfumu kutu is the regulation of sensory perception together with self-­consciousness that defines the continuity of the life together with identity of the person.

The verb "to live" is translated past times 3 terms: zinga, the continuity of life inwards the feel that the dead together with unborn, non only the living, are portion of the totality of human life; moyo, the spiritual aspect of all living beings; and kala bung, the physical life of the body. This conceptualization of the body together with spirit, nowadays amidst our Bantu ancestors who were transported to the Americas, was the footing of their agreement of their novel lives together with of their survival inwards their New World. We tin interpret our cultures of resistance every bit reflecting together with beingness products of these principles of resistance to death, which are yet a portion of our resistant worldview together with demeanour fifty-fifty if nosotros have got forgotten the words that define them together with have got to render to the source to recall them. These principles volition con­tinue to guide us inwards the novel millennium. In other words, intentions of denying the pro­found philosophical foundations of our demeanour past times trivializing them every bit "folklore," every bit has been done past times colonially minded "scholars," has catalyzed our collective mfumu kutu into a dynamic opinion of continual resistance.

Mariah Carey's manful soul parent is Afro-Venezuelan.

This is why many Afro-Venezuelans have got inwards recent years been implementing a procedure of self-reconceptualization, of stripping ourselves of concepts that Eurocentric social sci­entists have got imposed on us together with our realities, fraudulent unusual concepts that, lamenta­bly, yet go on to plague us, together with that nosotros must topographic point together with deconstruct when nosotros sit down downward to write most our ain communities. When nosotros refer to accounts of African cul­ture inwards the Americas, nosotros oft have got to ground with its "folklorization" past times those who characterize our cultural productions every bit "folk music," "religious folklore," "folk arts," together with so forth—stereotypical together with prejudiced conceptual terminologies that serve every bit route signs together with tricks or traps inwards the colonial imaginary.

We demand to prepare a pedagogy of self-perception. Those of us who are musicians and/or members of African-derived religions, for example, must larn by against efforts made to folklorize us. To neglect to do so is to go on to sentiment ourselves through borrowed eyes. African cultures inwards the Americas, rather than quaint but superficial folklore, are cul­tures of resistance based on African philosophical principles that nosotros must rediscover, that persist together with reshape themselves every bit fourth dimension passes together with every bit changes occur inwards our communities.

Afro-Venezuelan  Lucbel Carolina Indriago Pinto 

What do nosotros hateful past times cultures of resistance? We hateful a dynamic procedure inwards which orig­inal cultural elements are set inwards opposition to the pressure level of colonial together with post-colonial religious together with governmental authorities' attempts to "disappear" them. We deliberately imagine the possibility of cultural commutation inwards the Americas on an equal airplane of mutual abide by together with tolerance, insisting upon the possibility of a reciprocal procedure of cultural transformation that guarantees the peaceful coexistence of both colonial European together with African cultural traditions inwards contemporary social contexts.

Afro0Venezuealan Vina, miss Venezuela 2005

The cornerstone of our ideas is that for the past times 5 hundred years African history-culture has searched for ways to reproduce itself inwards the Americas, ways such every bit cimarronaje/marooning in quilombos, cumbes, and palenques, as good every bit incabildos, cofradias and other alternative spaces of African-inspired religious celebration. Cumbes, quilombos, together with palenques were the liberated spaces that the enslaved created inwards rebelling against the organization of slavery, such every bit the Ocoyta Cumbe led past times Guillermo Rivas during the terminate of the eighteenth century inwards Barlovento, Venezuela, together with the yet extant Palenque de San Basilio inwards Northern Colombia. These expressions of history-culture have got created scenarios inwards which Bantu cultural codes, based on profound philosophical concepts have got been (re)produced inwards music, dance, together with religion, inwards human relationship with other ethnic configurations emanating from Native American, Hispano-Arabic, together with Anglo-Saxon cultures.

Bantu cultural (re)production inwards the Americas has maintained a distinct historico-cultural presence. Unable to keep itself inwards its original state, it has gestated novel creative processes. Its imaginary breathed inwards novel air, together with its original modes transformed themselves inwards the rut of novel experiences. Out of this cultural reproduction came its ain style of modernity, every bit manifest inwards music/dance such every bit Bantu-derived mambos rumbas, and cumbias, and inwards the utilisation of Bantu words inwards everyday linguistic communication inwards the European languages of the Americas, words such asbilongo, nganga, and cafunga,[14] Kikongo  damage used inwards hispanophone America. All of these syncretic elements score the shifting of a modernity that emerges from a specific cultural root growing against the grain of a reductive, homogenizing, together with heavy soil.

             beautiful afro-venezuelan woman

We tin depict this modernity every bit a continuous procedure of cultural recycling for African, especially Bantu, cultures inwards the Americas that have got struggled to minimize the cultural desolation imposed on them past times forces that would have got them larn passive together with uniform. In contemporary reality at that topographic point are novel palenques together with quilombos, translated every bit militant do that allows us to reappropriate our ain self-perceptions. This novel do inwards the instance of Venezuela includes festivals such every bit "Multicultural Day," initially created for Afroamérica 92, together with at i time celebrated every twelvemonth inwards the pump of Barlovento.

As Venezuela celebrated the annual Dia de la Hispanidad (Hispanicity Day), com­memorated all over Hispanic America on Oct 12, 1992, inwards honor of the so-­called regain of the Americas past times Columbus, nosotros created the Afroamerica 92 festival, celebrating Afro-Venezuelan culture. Within that event, nosotros organized Multicultural Day on Oct 12 every bit a to a greater extent than honest pregnant of the results of Colum­bus's encounter. Out of Afroamerica 92 grew the Fundacion Afroamerica (Afroamer­ica Foundation), which began inwards 1993 with the back upwards of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, together with Cultural Organization. The foundation's goal is to research the sub-Saharan African presence inwards Venezuela together with the Caribbean. We disclose the journal Afroamerica and have got developed nine compact discs of Afro-­Venezuelan music every bit a portion of the Memoria Musical de Orígen Africana en Venezuela (African Musical Memory inwards Venezuela) project.

The foundation has also published sixteen Cuadernos de historia regional(Regional History Notebooks) based on both historical research inwards regional together with national archives together with on the oral traditions of our communities. The notebooks are used inwards primary together with middle schools inwards Barlovento, together with nosotros also organize educational seminars together with workshops most this novel conceptualization of our history for teachers together with administrators. We are planning to extend this Barlovento educational model to xv other regions with ninety percentage Afro-Venezuelan populations. We also produced a documentary, Salto al Atlan­tico, filmed inwards the Congo-Brazzaville together with inwards Barlovento, inwards which Congolese together with Afro-Venezuelans discovered together with compared their mutual cultural ground.[15]

All of these novel programs together with activities reaffirm the experience of constructing our ain modernity inwards our ain image, a procedure that goes good beyond academia together with comes closer to accurately representing our reality than do the "intermediaries" who pretend to speak for us.

SOURCE:http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/316#_ftn3

AFRO-VENEZUELAN MUSIC

1. Introduction “The Caribbean Area shores of the province throb to the rhythms of the progeny of old slaves from Africa: Are they Venezuelans ?” (Richard Gott: 2005)                                Eleggua visits USA The Venezuelans are to a greater extent than oft than non described every bit a 'café con leche-people', pregnant that almost everybody is of mixed descendancy together with - every bit the metaphor suggests - that everybody is at to the lowest degree partially ‘black’. But racist attitudes were non alien to this society, together with the heritage of slavery combined with the ideology of whitening, resulted inwards the depreciation of everything remotely recognisable every bit 'African' inwards personal life together with national culture. This resulted inwards the 'invisibility' of the blacks as a grouping inwards Venezuela, together with to cultural amnesia regarding the African roots of - together with contribution to - contemporary Venezuelan society. This is a wall-painting inwards the mansion of a household unit of measurement belonging to the colonial elite of slave-owners (the so-called mantuanos). The call of this mansion is Quinta de Anauco - which gave its call too to i of the most emblematic musical compositions of Venezuela. Once on the outskirts of Caracas, it was swallowed upwards past times the metropole. Constructed inwards 1797, it at i time harbours the Museo de Arte Colonial. The ikon shows a white lady beingness carried around past times her servant. It is portion of legend that El Libertador Simón Bolivar stayed at this place. Slowly something of a rediscovery together with revalidation of the African heritage started - especially by writers of the indigenistic schoolhouse inwards the 1940-50s. Before, anthropologists were almost only interested inwards the Amerindian legacy of Venezuela, but from together with then on social scientists also started to do do research on the neglected descendants of the slave population. This forgotten grouping also returned inwards other ways dorsum to the centre of the national stage: Especially after World War II, the rural exodus took on novel momentum together with many impoverished rural blacks “voted with their feet.” A representation of a grouping of musicians belonging to the pop tradition. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 minor theater with puppets on a string. Some mightiness object to it every bit caricaturistic, or outright racist, but this sentiment would in all likelihood non live understood inwards Venezuela, every bit attitudes towards ‘race’ are to a greater extent than relaxed every bit they are inwards the USA. In Caracas, some speedily growing neighbourhoods became almost extensions of the regions of origin: San Augustín, for instance harboured many people from Barlovento, together with social movements originating inwards that barrio - like El Afinque de Marín, together with the band Madera - did much to revitalize the traditions of the homeland. In this way, Afro-Venezuelan traditions together with drums also came dorsum to the cities, to novel audiences together with the national consciousness. In the in conclusion ii decades of the 20th century, a novel generation of cultural entrepreneurs – most notable amongst them some Afro-Venezuelan activists – together with also some institutions (especially the province funded FUNDEF – Society for Etnomusicology together with Folklore – together with the Fundación Bigott, offspring of a tobacco multinational) started to research together with promote the Afro-Venezuelan heritage. With the coming to ability of Hugo Chávez in 1998, together with the political together with cultural projection of the Bolivarian Revolution, he forcefully promoted, i time almost invisible together with unheard - indigenous, native - voices have got come upwards to the forefront of the national scene together with reclaimed their presence. (Video 1 (youtube) - Afrogroup inwards front end of the National Pantheon inwards Caracas) As portion of the celebration of the abolition of slavery inwards Venezuela, this band from eastern Venezuela performed on the steps of the National Pantheon inwards Caracas, where the heroes of the Independence struggle are enshrined. It was a highly symbolical trial every bit it paid homage to the indigenous together with Afro-Venezuelan liberty fighters for the foremost fourth dimension inwards history. Amongst the bystanders are many activists of the nationwide Afro-Venezuelan Network. Several indigenous leaders became members of the national parliament, together with a lot has been done to ameliorate their topographic point inwards society. As the Afro-Venezuelans are much to a greater extent than integrated into Venezuelan society, specific policies to ameliorate their lot have got been to a greater extent than hard to formulate together with to implementate, but changes have got come upwards hither too. (Audio 1 - “El saqueo”, Village Group 'Sentir Sabanera', Tierra Del Cacao - Afro-Venezuelan Music And Dance) El Saqueo (The revolt) is a vocal of social protest, commenting on the outbreak of a pop revolt on the 27th of february 1989. It spread rapidly, together with "El 27" marks a suspension inwards the history of Venezuela, preparing the ground for the ascent to ability of Hugo Chávez. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 goodness illustration too of the vitality of music every bit a tidings medium, continuing oral tradition. The style of the vocal is a parranda, nominally the music played during the Christmas season, together with past times at i time i of Venezuela’s many national musical styles (amongst other things, through the huge success of groups like Un Solo Pueblo and constant media-exposure). This composition is past times Alexis Laya who also blows the guarura, a sea-shell: Looting has started! On the 27th of february inwards Guarenas at that topographic point started a rebellion that set the whole of Venezuela aflame. The people were sick together with tired of corruption they left the people inwards a troubled state. The celebration of the emancipation of the slaves, was a historic trial inwards Venezuela (2004). The highest regime officials participated inwards it, thus officially acknowledging the historical debt of the land towards the Afro-Venezuelans (as had been done for the indigenous peoples inwards the novel constitution of the Fifth Republic some years before). Thus, although the African heritage inwards Venezuela is real diluted, inwards the acre that involvement us most hither - that of music together with trip the low-cal fantastic - it made a spectacular renaissance. In pop culture, the 'black' drum dances that were i time forbidden past times the authorities, have got past times at i time larn indispensable inwards whatsoever representation of national culture. Pioneering groups like Un Solo Pueblo, Madera, Vasallos del Sol and Convenezuela, already testified of this move, together with past times at i time most Venezuelan artists are eager to include elements of “Afro-Venezuelan music” inwards their repertoire. (Video 2 (youtube) - Francisco Pacheco) Francisco Pacheco – lovingly called “El Negro de Cata” (‘The Black Man from Cata,’ a hamlet on the coast) - is a existent star inwards Venezuela. Over many years he was the vocalism of the hugely successful band Un Solo Pueblo and at i time performs with his ain band. His popularity contributed to the wider credence of dark roots music. This song “Viva Venezuela” has larn the unofficial national anthem of Venezuela. (Video 3 (youtube) - Los Vasallos Del Sol performing "Bolivar, Tu Voz Florido") The Vasallos del Sol is a band sponsored past times the Fundación Bigott, which made a huge exertion to promote Venezuelan pop culture. The band hither performs on the Plaza Sucre inwards front end of the headquarters of the foundation. This vocal pays homage to Simón Bolivar, Independence hero together with the founder of the land (and i could say, also of the national province religion, every bit the Bolivarian Revolution is inwards total swing). The band consists of a grouping of vocalists – with Betzayda Machado every bit soloist – together with a grouping of drummers. The only other musical instrument is the cuatro, which has larn a symbol of Venezuelan identity. Palenque Son Karibe is a band that strives to correspond Afro-Venezuelan every bit good every bit Afro-Colombian musical traditions. And they also perform other to a greater extent than contemporary genres, adapting these to their grouping format. A side-effect to the rediscovery of this music (though yet mostly for interior consumption), has of late been a certain 're-africanisation' of national music styles. Here the tambores de fulía are beingness played, a set of smaller drums from Barlovento. They hold back similar minor tambores redondos. The fulía is some other of import genre, originally from Spain, Portugal together with the Canary Islands, it became real pop inwards the dark communities. Also at that topographic point is a wider credence at i time of a neo-African identity. Another symptom of this revalorization seems to live the wider credence of the term “Afro-Venezuelan” itself (although many “black Venezuelans” perceive themselves simply every bit Venezuelans, citizens of a modern state). Historical background During the fourth dimension of the transatlantic slave trade, Africans from many regional together with social backgrounds were forcefully transplanted to the novel plantation societies inwards the Americas. (Audio 2 - “Raíces”, San Millán, The drums of freedom) The song Raices (Roots) reflects the constant roots-searching of the Afro-Venezuelans: Ay donde estan, donde estan las raices de mi raza negra ? (“Where are the roots of my dark folks ?”). The band Tambores de San Millán arose out of the “Movement for the Rescue of Afro-Venezuelan Culture inwards the Community of San Millán, Puerto Cabello,” inwards 1976. It is a revival group, with the aim to ameliorate the topographic point of blacks inwards society. In 1992, the band was awarded aCasa del Tambor (House of the Drum), together with the band was declared “cultural heritage of the province of Carabobo.” Local author Asdrúbal González wrote most San Millán: “Tambor, puro tambor... Es el rescate de la africanidad.“ Drums, simply drums... This is the rescue of the African heritage,” together with he continues: “It is the consolidation of pop wisdom expressed through avocado woods together with goatskin, through instruments that are the testimony of a race together with a linguistic communication of resistance against oppression, drums that inwards the hands of those of African descent—all of us born inwards the Venezuelan melting pot—represent a shape of beingness inwards the musical universe. This tellurian essence, a vocalism of the people, African roots, are the rhythms together with sounds of the drums”. Respect for tradition has e'er been guideline for San Millán, but music travels together with exterior influences have got been incorporated. By now, the call of the grouping has larn the call of a beat too; to play a sanmillanero means to execute a drum-song inwards the style of the band San Millán. In the procedure they became a commodity inwards the rising global market. The descendants of the dark diaspora inwards the northern parts of the Americas are called Afro-Americans, together with past times analogy their descendants inwards Venezuela are called Afro-Venezuelans. During the menses of the slave merchandise about 120,000 people were sold into slavery inwards Venezuela. Here slavery came to a relatively early on end, although it took longer together with then the lifetime of El Libertador Simón Bolívar, who promised manumission to the slaves i time Independence would live achieved. As a social establishment it simply seemed to dwindle away; 'an anti-climax,' Lombardi called it, together with fifty-fifty 'a non-event'. The ‘early’ dismissal of slavery also meant that blacks became to a greater extent than assimilated to the incipient national gild - with its growing overall criollo identity - than elsewhere inwards the wider Caribbean Area (in Venezuela criollo means “native, local”, together with inwards its racial feel comes nearest to the term “mestizo”). The enslaved people were the victim to severe shocks together with traumas, but at that topographic point were several escape strategies, existent or symbolical: There were active together with passive strategies of maroonage. Ethnic multifariousness together with geographical dispersity led to a stronger abandonment of localised 'African' magico-religious practices, but Afro-Venezuelans evolved their ain specific discourses together with forms of resistance inwards the context of the slow consolidating multi-ethnic nation-state Venezuela. Folk Catholicism at times softened the impact of the procedure of dehumanization together with the reign of terror. (Video 4 (youtube) - the Diablos Danzantes) The Diablos Danzantes – the Dancing Devils – are a manful soul brotherhood who celebrate their festival at Corpus Cristi. From medieval, Roman Catholic origin, inwards Latin America this fiesta took on many syncretic forms. In Venezuela the festival only survived inwards a few isolated dark communities, similar the i filmed hither inwards Chuao. There is no priest inwards the village, but this twelvemonth the bishop came to see it, thus bestowing neat honor on the pueblo. In - together with beyond - the religious context, music became the priviliged vehicle for self together with collective facial expression for the uprooted together with disinherited, together with a niche for the retention of 'African civilization elements'. The caja is hither used at the festival of the Diablos Danzantes (see the video). The rhythms direct the stages of the procession together with the dances; these are a mix of African together with European traditions. In the context of music together with dance, dark identity crystallizes most visibly together with dramatically. The festival of the Dancing Devils lasts a few days together with nights, together with the outcome of this ritualized drama is e'er the same: The Holy Cross – Christianity – defeats chaos, disorder, together with heresy. Originally the festival was most the victory of the Holy Cross over the forces of evil, but nowadays its spiritual significance tends to diminish (and meanwhile its touristic importance increases). uantitative sources are plainly real unreliable together with racial identity itself is dependent acre to strategic ambiguity. In 1950, official statistics had it that most 32% of the Venezuelan population was dark (estimates for Brazil together with the U.S. of A. being, respectively, 33% together with 10%). According to a NACLA-report, 10% of the Venezuelan population is black. That would hateful that most 3 meg Venezuelans would live ‘statistically black.’ But nosotros have got to remember, that all ‘racial’ categories are portion of wider criollo society, with overlapping, multiple identities to live situated inwards their context. It would also live a mistake to consider the “black population” every bit i homogeneous category: shades of color yet concur their significance here. And also an internal moving ridge of blacks migrating to the cities, many Afro-Antillians (most of late many Haitians) together with fifty-fifty to a greater extent than Afro-Colombians migrated towards Venezuelan centres of chance together with employment. Apart from dancing inwards the church building together with inwards front end of it, the Dancing Devils visit the houses of almost all villagers, especially those of the deceased members of their brotherhood. The house hither is a bahareque – the typical abode topographic point of adobe of poorer Venezuelans. Even inwards an isolated hamlet every bit Chuao, they at i time tend to live replaced past times to a greater extent than modern constructions. It has been suggested that at that topographic point is an African model for the mask of the devils, but it is real hard to substantiate this thesis.

The African contribution to Venezuelan music

Nowadays it cannot live denied anymore that much of the corpus of national music got permeated with elements derived from African traditions, giving a specific 'coloring' to Venezuelan music. The music is the outcome of a procedure of creolization, together with some genres – especially the drum dances (with many regional varieties), but also the guasa, fulía,parranda, tamunangue, together with so on – have got a to a greater extent than Afro-Venezuelan graphic symbol than others.

La Burra - the ass - is a portion of hamlet lore which has larn portion of national folklore. It is a real amusing vocal during which a ass messes around with the bystanders. In its version past times Un Solo Pueblo it became a huge success.

Musicologically, the most of import aspect of Afro-Venezuelan music is its utilisation of polyrhythms; the synchronic unfolding of to a greater extent than than ii melodic motives or percussive rhythms at the same time. Next to an inventive play with polyrhythms, together with ageneral emphasis on rhythm as the most of import aesthetic organizing regulation (instead of for instance tune or harmony), other characteristics of 'African music' are the utilisation of call-and-response patterns and the repetition of phrases. The lyrics may also contribute to the 'African' flavour of the music, the sabor africano. One mightiness also banking concern complaint the utilisation of syncopation and fifty-fifty the democratic nature of the performanceitself, inwards the feel that nobody is excluded from actively participating inwards the musical process.

Afro-Venezuelan music absorbs the spheres of dance, literary project design together with lyrical improvisation. This makes this portion of expressive civilization into a synaesthetic experience; a sensually encompassing artistical musical complex. The trip the low-cal fantastic that inwards a generalized way has come upwards to typify this complex is el baile de tambor, the drum trip the low-cal fantastic of neat sensuality together with almost ritual intensity, but at i time mostly considered every bit a purely secular dance. The spectators-participants get together inwards such a way around the tambores that a minor circular infinite is left opened upwards for i ‘couple’ to start the dance.

El baile del tambor is the generalized description of the various drum dances. When drums resound, it doesn’t pick out long before a distich starts to trip the low-cal fantastic together with presently bystanders follow.

They start to trip the low-cal fantastic unopen to each other, with undulating body movements together with gyrations, together with with pelvic thrusts that accentuate the 'meaning' of the trip the low-cal fantastic every bit a game of erotic challenge. The distich mightiness suspension upwards whatsoever moment, every bit whatsoever of the bystanders mightiness bound into the circle together with force the soul of his or her sexual activity out of it. In this way, at the terminate of the trip the low-cal fantastic all of the participants of i sexual activity mightiness have got danced with all of the participants of the opposite sexual activity inwards the enchanted infinite formed past times the community inwards celebration, achieving a shape of danced communitas. 

Afro-Venezuelan musical traditions are most intimately related to the festivals of the “black folk saints” San Juan andSan Benito. Specific songs are related to the unlike stages of the festival together with of the procession, when the saints start their yearly paseo – stroll - through the community to trip the low-cal fantastic with their people.

Saint John the Baptist in total glory on his altar. Here nosotros catch the typical Catholic iconography, but inwards some villages nosotros encountered dark statues taking the topographic point of this ‘Eurocentric’ image.

This ikon was taken during the festival of San Juan in 'his house,’ inwards the hamlet of Chuao. This was i of the foremost cocoa haciendas on the Venezuelan coast together with due to its isolation many Afro-Catholic traditions are yet honoured. Celebrants sing together with trip the low-cal fantastic for the saint.

The gild of Sanjuaneras is a woman soul association together with each twelvemonth they select someone amongst them to pick out attention of San Juan inwards ‘his house’. When the fiesta is nearing, San Juan dresses upwards for the trial together with the women beak together with sing to him. During the dawns of the festival, they sing sirenas in front end of his statue when he comes dorsum from his visits to the church.

San Benito, ii drums together with pilón.

(Video 5 (youtube) - San Millan) These images were shot at a live performance inwards Petare, Caracas. These are the opening shots of a documentary on Afro-Venezuelan music: “Of Saints together with Drums” (released nether the championship “Going Native inwards Venezuela” past times PAN Records). The locations of several dark communities are shown on the map. San Millán is i of the most emblematic Afro-Venezuelan bands together with inwards fourth dimension has come upwards to define a proper style.

The original context of this music is thus Roman Catholicism every bit it provides a ritual calendar for the fiestas (and a context for syncretic processes that tin live subversive to a for sure degree). These fiestas are portion of wintertime together with summertime cycles, together with the festivals demand a existent exertion of the community, mobilising the people together with demanding much of their resources (as it is also a query of local pride to organise a goodness fiesta).

Los Pastores is some other Roman Catholic tradition that is playfully reinterpreted past times the people from these isolated communities. These are the shepherds that guarded the cave where the Holy Virgin gave birth. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 whole spectacle evolved around this subject inwards the hamlet of Chuao, including an innocent version of a transvestite trip the low-cal fantastic inwards the church. Nowadays they also sometimes position a dark Jesus Christ inwards the crib, mostly side past times side to the ‘official’ white one. On the ikon nosotros catch a cachero who amuses the bystanders.

Here nosotros catch the cumacos just inwards front end of the Holy Cross.

In the calendar month of may, the summertime festival bike starts with the Cruz de Mayo (The Cross of the calendar month of may). Every Holy Cross is adorned together with a procession is held to see them all. These are spread over the whole territory of the community. At each cross, prayers are said, together with at the principal cross inwards the village, drums together with songs mightiness live played all night.

In old times, Afro-Venezuelan music was much to a greater extent than embedded inwards a magico-religious order, live it inwards the shape of syncretic “Afro-Catholicism” or inwards a shape of maroonaged ethnicity.

(Video 6 (youtube) - Chimbangueles) This is another, longer selection from the documentary on dark subcultures inwards Venezuela. First nosotros catch images from Curiepe - long the archetypical dark hamlet inwards Venezuela, ‘discovered’ past times intellectuals inwards the 1950’s, together with yet a real pop finish at the fourth dimension of the local fiestas. It is followed past times an interview with Juan de Dios Martínez (1945-2005), “captain of the captains of the Chimbangueleros”. Born inwards Bobures inside its traditions which make dorsum to Africa, he took these to the aulas together with became the defender of “Afrozulianidad” – the African presence inwards Zulia, Venezuela’s easternmost state. He also recorded the Tambor veleño, the drum music from the surface area around Coro, which resembles the tambu from the nearby Dutch Antilles. He was Venezuela’s most ardent promotor of the Afro-Venezuelan heritage. Festivals for San Benito together with San Juan in conclusion for several days together with nights without whatsoever break. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quite exhausting affair, but to devotees it is unquestionably the most cherised trial on the yearly ritual calendar.

Nowadays, instruments together with songs are oft played out of their original context, every bit a leisure activity, together with oft for an exterior audience of tourists together with urbanites, or simply for the sake of fun, every bit the Afrovenezuelans seem especially dedicated to the fine art of parrandear (mounting improvised parties).

(Video 7 (youtube) - Chuao beach session) During holidays, an exodus starts from the overcrowded cities. Many people flock to the beaches together with the political party is on. On these images i sees a grouping of immature students bringing dorsum the music from the dark villages to its source, a music together with a civilization they tin at i time topographic point with. The images were shot on the beach of Chuao. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 valley that tin only live reached past times crossing the body of body of water inwards minor angling boats. This hamlet evolved out of a hacienda, founded inwards 1568 every bit an encomienda of native Amerindians. At an early on phase slaves were introduced, inwards the offset to piece of work amongst the ‘indians.’ In 1671 the hacienda was donated to the church, together with an estimated 350 slaves worked at the Obra Pía de Chuao. Only real recently, the hacienda has larn the holding of those who piece of work it, a local cooperative. Its cocoa is yet renowned every bit i of the world's finest.

Concludingly, nosotros may province that it is justified to speak of a well-defined “Afro-Venezuelan Musical Complex,” inwards which music, trip the low-cal fantastic together with vocal are united.

Musical instruments

Of course, Afrovenezuelan civilization is non all most drums: all the string instruments that were - and are - portion together with bundle of Venezuelan pop culture, were also adopted inwards the isolated dark settlements. In the to a greater extent than accesible regions together with inwards the cities, a never ending procedure of mutual adaptation together with transculturation occured, an oft spontanuous procedure based on the pick of private musicians, but inwards the past times sometimes enforced past times repressive measures (like the prohibitions imposed on drumming). Especially the relatively ubiquitious cuatro - a four-stringed lilliputian guitar that has come upwards to symbolize Venezuela (projecting the image of the land outwards, but also its presence inwards, into the isolated communitities) - is oft used inwards the daily life together with rituals of the dark communities, amongst the drum ensembles.

The most striking feature of traditional Afro-Venezuelan musical civilization is the regional distribution of unlike drum ensembles.

The household unit of measurement of membranophones - drums - is quite extended: iv groups of drum-ensembles - each with its ain geographical niche - mightiness live described every bit “typical” Afro-Venezuelan: The chimbangueles; the mina and curbata; thetambores redondos, together with the cumacos.

CumacoThe cumaco is in all likelihood the most widely distributed drum inwards Venezuela, especially inwards the surface area due west from Barlovento; the coastal part stretching towards the province of Carabobo, together with the hinterland.

Here the manager of Café y Panela (the same grouping every bit Grupo Osma - see video) proudly poses side past times side to his drums. These cumacos are typical for El Litoral, the coastal surface area close Caracas, West of Barlovento.

There are several African prototypes of this drum, giving credit to the theory that the name cumaco derived from a Carib discussion for slave, every bit this drum took root especially inwards some of the oldest slave-plantations on the Venezuelan coast.

Son de Chuao is another grupo de tambores. They are from Chuao, a valley, cocoa hacienda together with hamlet on the coast of Aragua State (west to Caracas). On the left nosotros catch a metallic scraper, the charrasca. Adapted from salsa together with merengue orchestras, it has larn portion of the grupos de tambores, every bit they make a much stronger sound every bit the maracas.

Most commonly, the cumaco is made from the woods of a avocado-tree. The peel - preferably of deer - is attached with ropes or nails to enshroud i extreme of the cylindrical drum (that tin mensurate upwards to 2 metres together with beyond). The cumaco is set downward on the ground - sometimes parallel to a different-sized i - together with the participant sits downward on the body of the drum to strike the skin. Behind his back, i or to a greater extent than people - the paliteros - bench downward to strike rhythms with sticks - the laures- on the wooden body of the cumaco.

The palitero forcefully strikes a beat against the body of thecumaco, thus giving a footing to the participant of the drumskin. The same beat is maintained, together with this continious shell becomes entrancing. This ikon was taken on the beach-front – el malecón – of Choroní, a minor colonial village. Every weekend a multitude of urbanites invades this place, eager to listen the sound of the drums together with relish the - oft alcohol induced - orgiastic atmosphere.

This ikon is from an archive, together with in all likelihood from the 1950s. The cumacos are at the substance of local identity, together with it seems things didn’t modify that much over the in conclusion l years. The players of the drums are called the cumaqueros; anyone is allowed to bring together in, but physical strength is a benefit.

The drums are tuned inwards a to a greater extent than or less intuitive way: If the sound is too low, a burn is lighted to rut upwards the skin, until the pitch is high enough. The cumaco is played with both hands, but the heel of the pes tin also live used to press against the peel together with thus influence its tone.

(Video 8 (youtube) - Vasallos tamborero) This vocal - “Lucero” (Morning Star) – is a typical drum song. Here the drums explode total strength (tambores trancao). Part of the Vasallos band is a trip the low-cal fantastic troupe, dressed inwards a to a greater extent than or less folklorized fashion. In monastic tell to pick out the repertoire of the villages to urban audiences, accomodations have got to live made to the performance. It has to live structured inwards infinite together with time, together with made to a greater extent than attractive to spectators willing to swallow these performances, live it every bit portion of their ain identity or every bit a shape of ‘local exotism.’

Chimbangueles
Another type of drums are the chimbangueles. These are specifically used for the festival inwards honor of San Benito de Palermo.

Before the festival of San Benito starts, coin has to live collected. To this end, processions with his statue together with drums are organized, especially inwards places where many people gather. This ikon was taken at the coach station of Maracay, the working capital missive of the alphabet of Aragua State, simply due west of Caracas. In this way, this ikon also shows that he is venerated inwards many parts of the province (but most intensely so inwards Zulia) together with has never been an alone Afro-Venezuelan saint.

In the larger portion of Venezuela - the civilization surface area of the cumaco and the tambores redondos, including the large cities similar Caracas - San Juan (Saint John the Baptist) is considered to live the patron saint of the people of Afro-American descendance. But inwards the westernmost states of the country, together with especially inwards the dark communities due south of the Lake of Maracaibo, San Benito takes this place. In Bobures village, they beak familiarly of their patron saint as El Negro. The yearly ritual bike to honour him reaches its climax on the foremost days of january. These days, San Benito goes singing together with dancing with the chimbangueleros (the term refers to the drums together with also to its players).

(Video nine (youtube) - The festival of San Benito)

(Audio 3 - “Ajé/Benito/Ajé”, Villagers of Bobures, Tierra Del Cacao - Afro-Venezuelan Music And Dance) Ajé-Benito-Ajé is i of the rhythms played past times San Benito's devotees, los Chimbangueleros. The Chimbangueleros perform different golpes de tambor during the procession for their Afro-Catholic patron saint Ajé/Benito: Ajé when the saints are requested to come upwards out of the church; Chimbanguelero Vaya is played i time the saints are out inwards the streets. Ajé begs the Santo Negro to live i with the pueblo. On this recording from Bobures, the grouping consists of vii drummers. Ajé is in all likelihood a deity of African origin, who after got assimilated to the Catholic cult of San Benito every bit a way to command a potentially subversive folk religion.

The ensemble ideally consists of vii unlike drums: the tambor mayor (or arriero, the i that 'pushes' the repose along); the second tambor mayor - el segundo; the cantante; together with the repuesta (these foremost iv are classified every bit the manful soul drums). These are followed past times a set of requintas. The drums mensurate around lxx to 100 cm inwards height. The diameter varies betwixt 20-40 cm (the base of operations is smaller than the top). The skins are attached with chords to pegs, together with the drums are carried around inwards procession.

The Chimbangueleros are organised every bit a brotherhood with its own gobierno, its ain government, the most of import functions beingness those of mayordomo, primer capitán, capitán de la lengua (treasurer of magical formulas) together with thedirector de banda.

A follower - vassal - of San Benito drums out his devotion on i of the drums of the chimbangueles drum ensemble.

 Tambores redondos

The tambores redondos another spectacular instance of the Afro-Venezuelan drums. These drums are ameliorate known asculo 'e puya, together with also had a specific geographical niche: Barlovento, the part most a 100 miles eastward of Caracas.

A set of culo ‘e puyas. These were made past times master-drummer Miguel Urbina in his workshop inwards Caracas together with are at i time inwards the practiced hands of Marco Toro.

Juan Liscano - an of import poet who also made field-recordings of Venezuelan folk music (with Charles Seeger together with also Alan Lomax) - ascribed their root to the Mangbele people from the Congo. Morphologically their sense ngoma, nguan ngoma and their mwana ngoma - signifying mother, manful soul parent together with kid drum - are identical to thetambores redondos: the cruza’o, puja’o and thecorrío (or prima, or guía). In Africa they are played with ii sticks, inwards Venezuela only with one.

(Video 10 (youtube) - Mina) Here nosotros see Grupo Mina in its embryonic form, with a set of culo ‘e puyas and with Chucho García on the left playing the maracas (Miguel Urbina with the bluish shirt is playing the drum on the right). Although they have got a Workshop of Afro-Venezuelan Percussion inwards La Pastora, Caracas, the foremost tape they produced was with batá music (the drums of the Cuban Santeriá cult). In 2006 the cd “Somos Mina” appeared, an independent production which is to a greater extent than inwards a latin-jazz vein.

These drums are made from a real low-cal form of woods together with the slightly conical, cylindrical drums have got skins on both sides, interconnected past times strings. Only i side of the drum is played upon, spell the drum is kept diagonally betwixt the legs of a standing musician.

During the festival of San Juan, it is possible to catch drums - yous may have got looked for anxiously during your rest inwards Venezuela - on every corner of the street. Here ii immature boys demonstrate their drumming technique to a grouping of bystanders (in Curiepe).

Their length is most i metre, together with their diameter varies betwixt to a greater extent than or less 15 together with 25 cm. The corrío starts to play foremost together with calls the cruzao, who follows inwards a lower tone inwards the same rhythm. The pujao then 'pushes' the other ii along, improvising freely. With swift movements of the hands, the tension on the peel tin live manipulated, thus changing its pitch (resembling the sound of a talking drum). Originally confined to a real limited area, past times at i time these drums have got larn adopted past times many bands.

(Audio 4 - “Barlovento”, Caracas Kontambor, Caracas Kontambor - The Bululú Project) Barlovento is i of Venezuela’s favorite songs, orginally composed every bit a Venezuelan merengue, it became adapted to every imaginable musical style. It is a hymn to the part of that call - literally “the part where the air current comes from” - together with to its inhabitants, who shape a multi-ethnic gild with a predominance of blacks: “Barlovento, fiery Earth of drums, of devotional songs together with beautiful negresses, who go feasting with their fine dark waists together with trip the low-cal fantastic to the beat of the drums. How heavenly delicious she moves her body, how marvellous the pounding of the drums resounds.” As the surface area - to the eastward of Caracas together with portion Miranda State - was renowned for its cocoa plantations, it is also referred to as La Tierra del Cacao. There is a strong dark subculture inwards this impoverished zone, together with some pop leaders elaborate on the subject of “afrobarloventeñidad,” using powerful regional symbols - similar the mina - to generate a civilization of resistance... This interpretation past times Caracas Kontambor starts off with an instrumental version, performed on culo e’puya, cuatro, bass, together with sax. In the 2nd part, Betzayda i time over again gives a superb demonstration of her vocal mastery.

   

             GRUPO ELEGGUA, an all woman soul band

Mina
Another drum from this same civilization area, Barlovento, is the enormous mina, a drum mensuration ii to upwards to iv metres (with a boca - literally mouth; diameter - of most 50 cm).

El Teatro Negro de Barlovento is also from the heartland of Venezuelan cocoa culture. Like Elegua, they actively assay to recover their African roots, together with both have got come upwards to adopt a pan-African repertoire recently. Teatro Negro opted for a to a greater extent than diversified instrumentation though, together with their sound resembles that of ground music pioneers Osibisa, or of the afrobeat to a greater extent than inwards trend nowadays. In front end of the band stands the 'mina' - the typical drum of the region.

It is paired with the curbata, together with both are played during the festival of San Juan.

Here nosotros catch the mina and its partner the curbata in a museum setting: At the FUNDEF which - during revolutionary times - was beingness rebaptized every bit the Centre for Diversity. This is the hothouse of national pop culture.

Normally the mina rests diagonally on ii crossed poles, so that drummers tin play on it spell standing; i inwards front end of the drum on its skin, together with several around it with sticks. The curbata is the guide of this ensemble, its pinnacle beingness most i metre, played with ii sticks, together with resting on 3 'feet'.

By the way, the most mutual drum inwards Venezuela is the tambora - a minor cylindrical drum - of mostly avocado-wood.Normally the drum is worn on a cord, which leaves the instrumentalist costless to sing together with walk, or fifty-fifty dance. This drum has larn portion of national folklore, together with simply similar the furruco - the Spanish zambomba - together with the to a greater extent than modern redoblante - a solo drum of the industrial type - and congas (tumbadoras), they can't live considered every bit properly Afro-Venezuelan.

The furruco - a type of frotting drum - is mostly used at parrandas. This mightiness refer to a spontanously mounted party, or to a genre of Christmas music. This ikon was taken during a nightly procession through the hamlet of Chuao. They go from house to house, play inwards front end of the door together with when the door is opened the political party is on inwards the living room of the mostly real humble dwellings. During the 24-hour interval this adult woman works inwards the cocoa hacienda.

During festival fourth dimension and parrandas the drums are intensely used (not to say abused). Often skins have got to live replaced, or sticks, or the attachment of the peel renewed. But yet fifty-fifty the youngest children can’t resist the drums; they have got to play them together with else they fabricate their ain instruments from what they find.

Another real appealing Afro-Venezuelan percussion musical instrument is called quitiplás; its call imitates the sound.

(Audio 5 - “Bocón (Chatterbox)”, Belén Palacios, Heide, Miguel Urbina, Chucho García, Bocón - Afro-Hispanic Music From Venezuela) This vocal derives its magic from the quitiplás. Belén and Heide - from the cocoa hamlet of Tapipa - at i time shape the nucleus of an all-female band: Eleguá. With the assist of their manager they started to perform on other stages far from topographic point together with past times at i time are i of the foremost neo-African bands of Venezuela. The championship of this vocal refers to a bigmouth, a twaddler: “Stop tattling together with flight rumor, else your fiancée volition drib you Leave those lies behind, ’cause I know the truth: I fearfulness no one, because I have got a strong voice”

It commonly consists of a set of 4 bamboo sticks (of to a greater extent than or less xl cm length). One player, holding i tube inwards each hand, provides the basic beat past times alternatingly pounding them on the ground together with against each other.
Two bigger tubes (called cruza’o and puja'o), each played past times i person, consummate the ensemble. When pounded on the ground, i manus partly covers the upper orifice of the tube, thus manipulating the pitch. Though classified every bit idiophones, these sticks make real drum-like sounds. Juan Liscano has been credited with the rediscovery of this musical instrument when he encountered it inwards Barlovento around 1940. Since then, the quitiplás have been revitalised through its adoption past times folklore groups.

This is an all-female band from a minor cocoa hamlet inwards Barlovento: Elegúa here performs on the quitiplás, a percussion ensemble consisting of hollow bamboo tubes. The manager of the band is Alexis Machado (who has his ain Afro-Venezuelan band: Akende). He ‘invented’ the call of the band together with is responsible for their presentation (repertoire, clothes together with so on). All musicians belong to the Afro-Venezuelan network.

Belén Palacios always worked on her ain cocoa hacienda andconuco, together with every bit a pop creative soul maintained the traditions of her village. Here she plays the quitiplás in her backyard; with the all-female band Elegúa, she has been performing on various international stages recently.

(Video eleven (youtube) - Belén Palacios on quitiplas)

(Audio 6 - “Tonada De Quitiplás”, Toro Ensamble, Barrio Latino) Songs played on the quitiplás, typical of Barlovento together with nominally only played during the fiesta of San Juan. The verses belong to oral tradition together with have got larn quite standardized (de-localized).

The maracas - shakers made of dried gourds, filled with specific seeds - have got larn indispensable to Venezuelan music. Once this musical instrument was intimately related to Amerindian shamanistic practices (in the Afro-Venezuelan context, something of this magical ability has been retained). The maracas has larn omnipresent inwards Venezuelan music, to a greater extent than oft than non accompanying all song, tune together with rhythm.

The marimbula, a wooden box with a hole inwards the middle together with with iv or to a greater extent than metallic strips, produces a bass-like sound. This musical instrument mightiness have got evolved out of the African thumb-piano, or some other African ‘ancestor’, together with is also nowadays inwards other Afro-Caribbean settings.

The most conspicuous of the aerophonic instruments is the guarura, a sea-shell used every bit a trumpet, accentuating rhythms. Especially cumaco-ensembles from the coast utilisation this instrument.

(Video 12 (youtube) - Osma) The band Café y Panela is from the hamlet of Osma, located on the coastal stretch close Caracas called El Litoral (near to La Sabana together with Chuspa). They brand their ain drums together with these assist to create the impression of a real powerful band (see also the picture). In the video nosotros catch a “Baile de Tambor”, i of the typical Afro-Venezuelan dances. We also catch the guaruras, hither played past times women. These images were shot during a performance inwards honor of San Juan inwards Caracas, thus bringing the dark saint together with his people to the pump of the national stage.

Cachos - horns of animals - mightiness also live used.

A tertiary type of aerophones is formed past times a collection of one-toned tubes, similar the transverse metallic flute used past times theChimbangueleros (they also utilisation a flute played with the nose, the wooden orumo).

The only string musical instrument - cordophone - used inwards the Afro-Venezuelan enclaves seems to have got been the carángano. It is a monochord made from a branch of the cocos-palm tree together with most 1.30 metre inwards length. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 'chord' is position nether tension together with a resonance body - a bowl - is position on it. When sticks sart to shell the chord, it produces unlike vibrations. The Congolese music-bow mightiness live at its origin.

(Audio 7- “Carángano”, Santiago Muñoz, Bernardo Sanz & Erasmo Llasmoza, Bocón - Afro-Hispanic Music From Venezuela) The carángano is made from the torso of a kokosnoot palm. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 horizontal incision is made inwards the stalk together with is position nether tension past times ii wooden pieces that are inserted betwixt it together with the trunk. The strand of bark is struck with sticks, together with - supplementing this percussive effect - a bowl with corn seeds is placed on top together with moved along it, thus producing unlike maracas-like vibrations. The vocal is comical: “The monkey tomfool smokes a pipage together with drinks cocoa. The monkey of Juan Ramón smoked a pipage together with drank our rum!”

Dr. Bartolomé Duijsens

From invisibility to empowerment - Cultural resistance together with afrocentricity

In the in conclusion few decades, i adult man has consistently been working to promote the displace of the Afro-Venezuelans together with became their most of import spokesman together with leader: Jesús 'Chucho' Garcia (nicknamed “the African from Barlovento”).

(Audio 8 - “El Nieto Del Retorno”, Grupo Mina, Somos Mina) The 2nd vocal past times Grupo Mina “El Nieto del Retorno” (The Grandchild of the Return) is a subject by Chucho García, together with it ‘returns’ every bit a bonus rail every bit well. Here Chucho only plays the thumb-piano together with sings with a soft-spoken vocalism (very contrary to his to a greater extent than rethorical voice): ”I came dorsum to yous every bit the grandchild of retentivity / to shelter inwards your naked together with tender thorax / Muakaka koko ya kento....” The vocal was inspired past times a trip to the Kongo inwards 1987; the foremost inwards situ confrontation with the roots of Afro-Venezuelan culture, the foremost “Salto al Atlantico” (the championship of a 1989 documentary based on the experience of the return, which shows the intimate similarities betwixt Afrovenezuelean together with ‘African’ culture). Miguel Urbina also made the render trip inwards search of “nuestra africanía” – “our Africanness” together with went to Senegal. Grupo Mina elaborates on the rhytmical affinities together with household unit of measurement resemblances betwixt African together with Venezuelan - together with Cuban - musical traditions.

Jesús 'Chucho' Garcia, advocate of the Afro-Venezuelans.

Chucho is a multifaceted personality; poet, militant, instrumentalist together with also founder together with manager of theFundación Afroamerica and editor of its magazineAfricamerica. This foundation is at the centre of a whole socio-political movement, striving to empower Afro-Venezuelan men together with women, revitalize their legacy, together with constitute international solidarity betwixt Afro-Americans together with Africans. He organised many meetings of “Afrodescendentes” congresses (like the i most the abolishment of slavery), published various books on Afro-Venezuelan history together with identity, together with produced recordings which document the regional variety of Afro-Venezuelan music, ”thus constituting the classics of Afro-Venezuelan music."

To the Afrocentric heed of Jesús Garcia, the source of much of the patrimony of Venezuela lies inwards Africa, together with his mission to promote the displace of the Afro-Venezuelans has been received good nationally together with internationally.

He has insistently denounced the province of affairs of ‘neo-slavery’ inwards which the bulk of blacks have got had to go together with strives to pick out progress to the dark rural proletariat.

On some other bird he looks for ways to emancipate the displace from the “hegemonical Eurocentric discourse.” As the self-appointed leader (and apostle) of the Afro-Venezuelans, he has inwards fourth dimension larn an high profile participant on the national political scene. At first, he kept himself at a critical distance from the projection of Chávez (which started inwards 1999 every bit a ill-defined 'socialist revolution'). Chávez champions the underpriviliged, together with inwards due fourth dimension Chucho became involved inwards this larger “Bolivarian process,” turning literally into i of its ambassadors. He at i time has the chance to remainder the myths together with realities most Africa inwards situ, every bit he became ambassador inwards Angola, portion of a continent that is slow beingness discovered past times Latin America.

New directions inwards Afro-Venezuelan music - From localised soundscape to ground jazz

The old partner-in-crime of Jesús Garcia inwards documenting the Afro-Venezuelan heritage, Miguel Urbina, is yet inwards Caracas, 'pounding the drums'.

Miguel Urbina (to the left) is leader of Grupo Mina. He also plays with Alfredo Naranjo (on the right) inwards his latin jazz band. They stand upwards inwards front end of El Maní, the nightspot inwards Caracas for live music.

Apart from recording music together, Miguel together with Chucho had a band together for many years, named after the imposing drum from their native Barlovento: Grupo Mina. Later their roads separated, Miguel getting involved every bit a salsero andsantero, together with Chucho immersed inwards his many Afro-political projects. Miguel’s latest musical projection - the foremost tape of Grupo Mina - tin live defined every bit “Afro-Venezuelan jazz,” a branch of latin jazz.

(Audio nine - “Somos Mina”, Grupo Mina, Somos Mina) The foremost tape past times Grupo Mina is called Somos Mina (“We are the mina-drum”). It is also the championship of the foremost song: “The mina is non simply a drum It is a displace / from Africa to Barlovento... The mina doesn’t exlude, because nosotros are all mina Those who experience that inwards their soul something novel is coming... Move with the mina / Move.”

It continues a describe begun past times other artists who have got also been nether the spell of Chucho, like Alfredo Naranjo and also Paris-based Orlando Poleo, both stars inwards the Venezuelan musical firmament inwards their ain right. But still, Africa isn't actually nowadays inwards these productions, at that topographic point is non yet a fusion or cross over (like inwards the instance of Afro-Cuban music, or for instance with novel Afro-Colombian genres).
Another interesting endeavor at this was made past times the group Vaya Mandinga! with members from Venezuela, Gambia, Guinee together with the Netherlands.

(Audio 10 - “Tumbao Mandinga”, Vaya Mandinga!, El Mambo Del Diablo) "Tumbao Mandinga" is from the foremost album of ¡Vaya Mandinga!, a grouping of musicians from Venezuela, West-Africa together with The Netherlands. The ¡Vaya Mandinga!-project was organised by Fundación Interchange in an endeavor to reconnect indigenous traditions across the Atlantic. The pairing of the African together with the Venezuelan harp was done to demonstrate that the African contribution to the evolution of Venezuelan music has been to a greater extent than intensive than ever believed. The evolution of the national musical style joropo - together with especially the playing of the harp - was e'er explained inwards damage of its embeddedness inwards the grand Western classical tradition. As if Venezuelan harp music was zip to a greater extent than than a manifestation of the music that had been en trend inwards Europe at before stages. Although the retentivity of it mightiness live vague or fifty-fifty absent, the continuities betwixt the kora and the harp are deeper than hitherto acknowledged. Tumbao Mandinga is a calípso, a genre made pop through the emigration of West Indians:”Listen to the drums, together with how kora together with harp resound; with this groove that invites yous to celebrate carnival.” During the Christian Carnival, the established monastic tell is reversed together with turned upside down: The devil together with his mob of fools temporarily reign supreme. In calipso the bumbac is used, a drum brought past times the West Indians. Cissoko from Guinee plays the balaphone. This vocal is an eloquent testimony to the household unit of measurement resemblances betwixt African together with circum-Caribbean musics.

On the forefront is a dialogue betwixt the kora and the Venezuelan harp, together with on a deeper bird an instrumental confrontation betwixt several traditions of the global heritage.

(Audio eleven - “Stringed to Senegambia”, Vaya Mandinga!, El Mambo Del Diablo) "Stringed to Senegambia" is a traditional Mandinga song. The championship points to the ‘strings’ betwixt Venezuela together with the Senegambia. Harp together with kora weave an intricate tapestry: So many ‘genetically’ connected strings, that i gets disoriented at times past times this play of mirror images betwixt kora/Africa together with harp/Venezuela.

The call of the grouping derives from a electrical flow Venezuelan expression; 'Vaya Mandinga' pregnant something similar 'go to hell'.

(Audio 12 - “Mambo del diablo”, Vaya Mandinga!, El Mambo Del Diablo) "Mambo del diablo" is a vocal based on the festival for Saint John the Baptist. The celebrants trip the low-cal fantastic with the statue of the saint when he leaves his ‘house’:“Take him outside; I desire to catch him”. The facial expression at the terminate way “Go dorsum to hell, yous evil forces.” This vocal is ”¡Vaya Mandinga!’s devil’s mambo against the forces of darkness.

The interesting thing to banking concern complaint is the semantic twist given to the term ‘Mandinga’ inwards the colonial Latin American context; from an ethnic designation, it hither came to signify “the devil” (partly due to the reputation of Mandingas every bit beingness too rebellious to live ‘good slaves’).

(Video xiii (youtube) - Sutukung) The band Vaya Mandinga! was created to reestablish transatlantic musical links. The African kora is seen side past times side to the Venezuelan harp together with the European double bass. This vocal derives from Mande culture inwards West Africa. It is a praise-song inwards honor of a powerful man, who lived inwards the fourth dimension of the ancestors together with founded the hamlet of Sutukung inwards the Gambia.

(Audio xiii - “Ritmos de la humanidad”, Vaya Mandinga!, El Mambo Del Diablo) In "Ritmos de la Humanidad" the harp provides the funky foundation for a stylistic experiment. Vocalist ‘Cotufa’ is i of Caracas’ hottest rappers, performing with a latin hip-hop posse together with with a reggae band. His inspired lyrics speak of universal unity. Jesús Bosque here plays the vibes; he established himself every bit a high-priest of música afro-urbana, a drum-fusion of rock, jazz together with Venezuelan pop music.

Another instance of the utilisation of the Afro-Venezuelan percussive heritage inwards novel contexts, was provided past times the recordings made past times Cuban pianist Omar Sosa with Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. The 3 afromentioned bands could live classified every bit exploring the grounds of ‘world jazz.’ But at that topographic point are also other, to a greater extent than salsa-oriented musicians who also pay hommage to their Afrovenezuelan roots (In The Netherlands, for instance Marco Toro and Gerado Rosales; In France, Zumbao; inwards the USA Luisito Quintero; together with so on).

(Audio fourteen - “Agua que va a caer” (Rain that’s gonna fall), Vaya Mandinga!, El Mambo Del Diablo) Venezuelan-Dutch percussionist together with bandleader Marco Bernal (born inwards Caracas, 1969) founded stone band Laberintoin 1989, together with inwards 1992 these “latin-metal rockers” made the bound to Amsterdam. In time, Laberinto achieved a for sure notoriety, but Marco never lost his rootedness inwards Venezuelan pop culture, inwards which pan-Latin together with Afro-Venezuelan rhythmic patterns predominate. As he matured, he embarked on a novel project: The Toro Ensamble (2004). With this band he returns to Venezuelan pop music together with to the salsa brava of his youth, integrating these with novel soundscapes of the global village. This vocal modernized together with salsafied drum-dance; San Juan being associated with summertime solstice together with the offset of the rainy season.

Marco Toro is an all-round percussionist who started his career every bit aheavy metallic drummer, but inwards fourth dimension returned to the Afro-Venezuelan traditions too. He is the founder of the Toro Ensamble.

And at that topographic point are many to a greater extent than bands inwards Venezuela - ranging inwards style from metalatino to ska, together with from progressive rock tohip-hop - that include Afro-Venezuelan instruments inwards their performances.
But Afro-Venezuelan rhythms yet remain something of a terra incognita to the exterior world. In the 2nd edition of the ‘Bible of World Music’ - The Rough Guide to World Music (2000) - for the foremost fourth dimension a chapter on Venezuela was included. Its author, Dan Rosenberg concludes: “While Afro-Venezuelan civilization is every bit strong every bit ever inwards isolated villages along the northern Caribbean Area coast, it is growing to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than apparent, that, at to the lowest degree for now, if yous desire to catch together with listen it, you’ll have got to move to South America to do so.”

Another scene from a village parranda. The parranda is i way to laissez passer on on local traditions together with songs to the younger generation. The atmosphere tends to live real relaxed together with informal, fifty-fifty inwards the church. Drums - together with bottles with liquor - are carried around the hamlet together with everyone is invited to bring together the party. Ecstasy is on the faces of the participants, but if it is out of religious fervour ?

By now, nosotros hope to have got demonstrated that enormous progress has been made during the in conclusion ii decades: The Afro-Venezuelan drums at i time conspiciously herald the formerly negated African heritage of Venezuela to the world. The drums moved from the periphery to the core, together with the fourth dimension seems ripe for Afro-Venezuelan music to conquer international stages.

The dancers/chorus girls of Tambor Urbano demonstrate the utilisation of the guarura. This ikon was taken on the beach of Choroní, spell a commercial for a soft drinkable was beingness shot. To ‘purists’, the band has lost credibility for its outright commercialism, but on the other manus they did good on the national music market, reaching novel audiences with their local exotism.

By way of conclusion, nosotros mightiness say that Afro-Venezuelan music serves every bit a vehicle to mediate the identity of “black” Venezuelans to the global arena. In the instance of the Afro-Venezuelan imagined community, the cultural identity of the Afro-Venezuelans evolves every bit a local reply to a globalised discourse on dark ethnicity, the dark diaspora together with Africa.

For most Afro-Venezuelans, the lives of blacks inwards the USA together with inwards Africa are beyond their horizon. Malcolm X was a relatively unknown ‘entity,’ unusual to Venezuelan reality. But some city-based militants adopted his image when he became ‘rediscovered’ inwards the predominantly dark youth subcultures of rap together with hip-hop. This flyer was spread around past times “an Afro-Venezuelan costless jazz band” named Cacri Jazz, directed by Pablo García (none other together with then the i participating inwards Vaya Mandinga!).

And this discourse - portion of a politics of identity - finds its most exuberant facial expression inwards music together with dance. The dynamic shape of music nosotros hither described every bit Afro-Venezuelan music, tin live understood every bit a highly localized, but globally mediated shape of Venezuelan musical identity.

(Audio 15 - “Comadre Juana”, Caracas Kontambor, The Bululú Project) Comadre Juana is a composition with 3 parts, based on a real pop Afro-Venezuelan song: “Comadre Juana pick out my manus together with brand me trip the low-cal fantastic with you!” This version gives a daring novel interpretation of this song, every bit it is included inwards a ‘suite’ most contemporary Venezuela (here Comadre Juana becomes Godmother of all the Venezuelans together with a metaphor for Venezuela). Comadre Juana represents the intimacy of relations inwards a small-scale society. Lead vocalistBetzayda Machado - ”La Perla Negra de Barlovento,” beingness herself from a typical Barloventean hamlet of minor cocoa-hacienda owners - also sings with Vasallos del Sol, Un Solo Pueblo together with Vaya Mandinga! The chorus sings: “Sí es, no es,” echoing the Shakespearean dictum “To live or non to be.” The 2nd portion delivers a message most the broken dream of progress inwards Venezuela. The tertiary portion represents the continuity inwards Venezuelan history, symbolized past times the harp - the basic musical instrument of joropo, the national trip the low-cal fantastic together with a form of musical commutation to the national soul. Its sound is reminscent of the West African kora, together with blends harmoniously with the African derived percussive traditions of Venezuela. The band Caracas Kontambor was formed inwards 2001 by Bartolomé Duijsens and Gilberto Simoza. TheBululú Project derives its call from “Bululú” - disorder - a mutual subject inwards the history of Venezuela. Caracas Kontambor presents a musical fusion that mightiness live dubbed “world jazz,” reflecting the variegated musical styles of a multi-ethnic gild inwards a global soundscape, an alchemical blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms together with homegrown anarchy.

And to render to the query posed past times political analyst Richard Gott at the offset of this article: Yes, the Afro-Venezuelans are Venezuelans !

Dr. Bartolomé Duijsens
Fundación Interchange

SOURCE:http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/afro_venezuelan_music/eng/index.htm

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