of The Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC) will host a series of musical performances, film screenings, and moderated conversations this summer that explore the many Congolese influences in Caribbean music and dance.
The program will be showcased across three events in BMHC’s signature Bronx Rising. A series that brings to life the rich culture of the Bronx past and present.
“West and Central Africa, popularly known as Congo or Bantu, has brought a treasure trove of ideas and music to the Americas. I’m proud,” said BMHC Co-Artistic Director Elena Martinez.
This season is Bronx Rising! Starts Saturday 24th Junet At 4 p.m., at the Bronx Music Hall Plaza, along with Puerto Rico Bomba’s Congo Influence, Nukum Katalai and Alma Moyo bandleader Alex LaSalle talk, followed by a performance by their ensemble. rice field.
Then on Saturday 22nd July at 7pm at BMHC Labs, BMHC will present the Congolese Roots in the Diaspora: Jamaican Kumina featuring a screening of the film “Kumina Queen”, followed by the film’s creators A discussion and Q&A will be held by the moderator. Director Nyasha Lane and anthropologist Dr. Kenneth Bilby discuss Congolese influence in Jamaican popular music.
Kumina is Ancestral rituals based on Jamaican African traditions.Kumina is a unique and expressive religion traveled to Jamaica with Kikongo-speaking workers Central Africa in the 19th century. The basic elements of Kumina are singing, dancing, and trance possession.
Bantu Congolese religious elements are incorporated into popular and contemporary music forms of Latin American and Jamaican communities across the United States. The Bantu (also known in Cuba as the Congo), who came through the slave trade, quickly assimilated into Cuban culture. As a result, their religious traditions created something of a collective identity as Cubans and influenced Cuban musical forms such as the conga and mambo, which mean song and chant, respectively.
Today, artists and devotees are reimagining Kumina as the mystical world of spirit possession reveals multiple paths to freedom, healing and transformation.
The series will feature “Quien notiene de Kongotiene de Karabalí” (translated as “Who doesn’t have Congo, has Karabalí”) with the Congolese roots of the Diaspora at the Bronx Music Hall Plaza on Saturday, August 26th at 4pm. is executed). Refers to the famous Cuban phrase, “Everyone has African blood”). The event will feature a performance by the Romain Diaz Ensemble and a discussion by the Romain Diaz Ensemble. Diaz, Dr. Ivor Miller and BMHC Co-Artistic Director Bobby Sanabria explore how Congolese influences have shaped Cuban traditions and produced some of the island’s most celebrated performance ensembles.
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