Tumba Francesa Performance - Santiago de Cuba

Tumba francesa is a Afro-Cuban genre of dance, song and drumming that emerged in Oriente, Cuba. It was introduced by Haitian slaves who were resettled in the island's eastern regions following the unrest in Haiti during the 1790s.

The genre flourished in the late 19th century with the establishment of sociedades de tumba francesa (tumba francesa societies), of which only three survive.

Tumba francesa combines musical traditions of West African, Bantu, French and Spanish origin. Cuban ethnomusicologists agree that the word "tumba" derives from the Bantu and Mandinka words for drum. In Cuba, the word tumba is used to denote the drums, the ensembles and the performance itself in tumba francesa.

Tumbas francesas are directed by a mistress of ceremonies called mayora de plaza. Performances generally begin with improvised solo singing in a mixture of Spanish and French patois termed kreyol cubano or patuá cubano by the lead vocalist (composé).

After the introduction, the catá (a wooden cylindrical idiophone struck with two sticks) is played, and the composé alternates call and response singing with a group of female vocalists tumberas.

After the catá establishes the beat, the three tumbas are played. The tumbas are single-headed hand drums; from largest to smallest they are called premier (or manma), bulá and segón. The premier is now commonly called quinto, as it fulfills the same lead, improvisatory role as the quinto does among the conga drums in Cuban rumba. In the toque masón, a double-headed bass drum called tamborita (or simply tambora) establishes the rhythm together with the catá. In addition, a shaker called chachá or maruga is commonly played by the tumberas and the mayora throughout the performance.[

The structure of tumba francesa is related to an eastern type of Cuban rumba called tahona.[

Afro - Cuban dance and drumming in Santiago de Cuba by the world famous Tumba Francesa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Performance recorded on October 27, 2016 in Santiago de Cuba.

video: Stephen Smith
reporter: Ilona Kauremszky
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