Bembe Conversations Link<\/a><\/p>\nThe Roots of Bemb\u00e9<\/strong>
\nThe history of West Africa springs from three main sources \u2014 archaeology, oral tradition, and the written logs of foreigners who traveled there. Unfortunately, there was no written form of the African-based languages until about 1700 AD.<\/p>\nArchaeology can provide us with little information about the evolution of drums in West Africa. As mentioned previously, since most drums were made of organic materials, their history and former cultural significance have literally disintegrated over time.<\/p>\n
Oral tradition usually consists of part fact and part fiction, as the history of a people is passed from generation to generation in the form of stories and parables. If you ever played the \u201ctelephone game\u201d when you were younger, you know how easy it is for a simple message to become completely turned around as it is told from one person to the next. Most of the stories that still remain today only provide means for conjecturing about the history of drums in West Africa.<\/p>\n
Lastly, there are the written notations of all the travelers that visited West Africa over the course of history. These include North Africans (Berbers), Arab travelers, missionaries, and eventually European traders. Their accounts of events in this area are, as expected, stilted and from their own point of view.<\/p>\n
The oldest written account of West Africa survives in Greek records from about the 5th century BC. These records describe the journeys of Greek explorer, Hanno of Carthage. Hanno, as with other explorers from the \u201ccivilized world,\u201d saw West Africa as another great unknown \u2014 a dangerous and scary place full of heathens and barbarians. For example, one of his written stories describes an island area in the \u201cHorn of the West\u201d (West Africa). It reads:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could discover nothing in the daytime except trees; but in the night we saw many fires burning, and heard the sound of pipes, cymbals, drums, and confused shouts. We were then afraid, and our diviners ordered us to abandon the island.\u201d (Palmer 1931:2)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Even given that these historical sources are relatively few and far between, and that the reliability of information leaves something to be desired, it\u2019s still possible to piece together a good portion of our \u201cBemb\u00e9 path.\u201d By 800 AD, trading was heavy between North Africa and West Africa. North Africa provided climatic conditions that were more conducive to raising cattle. West Africa\u2019s climate was more conducive to raising crops. These diversities stimulated trade between the two regions which, in turn, stimulated the transfer of culture and traditions.<\/p>\n
Three main trade routes were used. The first route went into the western regions of West Africa, with Ghana as the major gateway. The second route went into the central regions of West Africa, with Timbuktu and Gao as the major gateways. The third route went into the eastern regions of West Africa to an area known as the Hausa states.<\/p>\n
The Hausa states, situated in what is now northern Nigeria, were socially, governmentally, and economically advanced, with well-established trading ties to:<\/p>\n
\n- Libya and Tunisia in the far north<\/li>\n
- Egypt in the northeast<\/li>\n
- Nubia in the Nile Valley<\/li>\n
- Eastern Guinea,now southern Nigeria and the home of the many Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 tribes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The trade routes between these entities flowed with both tangible and intangible goods, all of which played an important part in the cultural evolution that took place at the center hub, the Hausa states, and at the ends of the spokes, including the area where the Yorub\u00e1 reside.<\/p>\n
Inside the Yorub\u00e1 Culture<\/strong>
\nThe Yorub\u00e1 people would appear to be the descendents of two separate and distinct ethnic groups. The first group was the Stone Age \u201cNok Culture\u201d mentioned earlier. Evidence of the existence of the Nok dates from 900 BC to about 200 AD. The Nok also provide the first evidence in West Africa of having used smelting. They were pioneering metal workers, stone carvers, and had also mastered the use of the terracotta. They were the earliest known sculptors yet found in sub-Saharan Africa. Master artists in their own right, they paved the way for the tradition of extremely ornate portrait terracottas and bronzes that later developed in the city of If\u00e9 in what is now western Nigeria.<\/p>\nThe second group of Yorub\u00e1 ancestors are only talked about in legend and folklore and, according to these stories, would seem to have emigrated from Arabia via Bornu, an area north of the Hausa states and somewhere along the middle of the Nile. (They might have been the people of the ancient Egyptian-like empire, Kush.) The migrations probably occurred in about 1000AD. Two main groups of migration occurred, one towards Ekit\u00ed, If\u00e9, and Ijeb\u00fa, inside the dense forest belt, and another towards Oy\u00f3 on the northern edge of the forest.<\/p>\n
Yorub\u00e1 culture abounds with myths and legends, almost all of which seem to have had a profound impact on their music. We will explore one of the more well-known stories in this next section.<\/p>\n
Yorub\u00e1 Myths and Legends<\/strong>
\nThe Yorub\u00e1 people practice a religion called If\u00e1. At the core of this religion is a supreme being called Olodum\u00e1re or Ol\u00f3run, the creator of the heavens, the earth, and the earth\u2019s inhabitants. \u201cCommunication\u201d with Olodum\u00e1re is not performed directly though, as one might \u201ctalk with God\u201d in the Christian faith. Instead, communication is accomplished through other divine beings called Orish\u00e1.<\/p>\nEach Orish\u00e1 has control over certain specific aspects of the universe. Some are considered to have been around long before the earth was created. Some are the personification of certain natural forces such as the wind, trees, rivers, mountains, and oceans, while others represent certain historical figures such as kings, cultural heroes, and war champions who have been deified. In essence, though, the Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 believe each Orish\u00e1 represents a familial ancestor who possessed a certain power or ash\u00e9. During moments of emotional crisis, these ancestors would shed their material selves, leaving only their ash\u00e9, which manifested as pure energy.<\/p>\n
In all, the Yorub\u00e1 worship anywhere from 200 to 1,700 (or more) of these Orish\u00e1 through a myriad of myths and legends that explain their existence. As with the Bible, these mythical stories are told metaphorically and are subject to the interpretation of the reader. (Think of the many forms of Christianity practiced today, each with their own particular \u201ctwist\u201d on how the Bible is interpreted.) One of these, the legend of Oduduw\u00e1 (pronounced like oh-doo-doo-wah), is particularly significant as it endeavors to explain some of the political and social changes that occurred during the history of the Yorub\u00e1.<\/p>\n
The Legend of Oduduw\u00e1<\/strong>
\nAs legend has it, Oduduw\u00e1 was a great warrior who came from the far eastern realms of Africa and conquered the original inhabitants of Il\u00e9-If\u00e9, the area the Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 believe is the cradle of their nation. These original inhabitants were called the Igb\u00f3. Oduduw\u00e1, who shall remain gender-less for now, married one of the Igb\u00f3 people, in order to keep peace and unify the two peoples. One version of this legend identifies Oduduw\u00e1\u2019s spouse as Obatal\u00e1, another Orish\u00e1 worshiped by the Igb\u00f3. However, it is unclear from any of these accounts whether Oduduw\u00e1 was a man or a woman. For that matter, Obatal\u00e1 is considered a rather androgynous entity, too. Some believe that perhaps Obatal\u00e1 was male and represented the \u201cfather\u201d of the Igb\u00f3 people. When they were conquered, they were forced to worship Oduduw\u00e1 who was female. However, when the conquering leader died, the Igb\u00f3 may have expressed their discontent with this new Orish\u00e1 and, in their defiance, assigned a male gender to Oduduw\u00e1. Suffice to say, it\u2019s all very confusing.<\/p>\nRegardless of the gender of either, Oduduw\u00e1 and Obatal\u00e1\u2019s descendants were sent to rule in different parts of the Yorub\u00e1 Kingdom. One of their sons became the first Alaafin or king of Oy\u00f3. He went on to father another son who became the first Oba (or monarch) of B\u00e9nin. As you can see, these Orish\u00e1 legends tie into and attempt to explain, at least in part much of the political and social change that went on in the area throughout the history of the Yorub\u00e1.<\/p>\n
By 1300 AD, all the Yorub\u00e1n states were under If\u00e1 spiritual leadership, and the area had developed into a strong economic force. Yoruban influence spread to neighboring countries, including the Kingdom of B\u00e9nin. Around 1486 AD, the Portuguese landed in B\u00e9nin and began establishing strong political and trading ties with this, one of the largest and most well established of the political systems in Western Africa.<\/p>\n
As the Europeans improved their seamanship, they were able to explore further into West Africa using the Niger and Senegal Rivers as key entry points to reach the in-lands. They sought the wealth of natural resources that were so prevalent there, including gold and salt, and which were also so desperately sought after back in Europe and in northern Africa. It was cheaper and better for both West Africans and Europeans to bypass the inhospitable Saharan trade routes to accomplish these tasks.<\/p>\n
But as the Europeans expanded their territories westward into the \u201cNew World,\u201d the need for resources changed from precious metals to manpower. This was the driving force behind the slave exploitation of West Africa\u2019s many inhabitants.<\/p>\n
The African Diaspora<\/strong>
\nDiaspora is a Greek term meaning \u201cscattering, spread out, or disperse.\u201d When used in conjunction with the history of Africa, the term \u201cAfrican Diaspora\u201d generally refers to the dispersal of Africans and African culture primarily as the result of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.<\/p>\nAlthough Africa was no stranger to slaving herself, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade carried out by the Europeans had perhaps the most profound impact on the export of African culture and tradition to new lands.<\/p>\n
For thousands of years, from the time of Egyptian rule to the formation of large West African states, \u201cfree labor\u201d was very much a part of daily life. It was common for war captives between warring states to become enslaved by their victors. Slaves were important commodities \u2013 status symbols by which to measure the relative power and control of a monarchy. The more slaves, the more power.<\/p>\n
Actually, this concept was not unique to Africa. In all areas of the world, the use of \u201cfree labor\u201d in support of a conquering force or higher social class was a well-accepted practice, whether called \u201cslavery,\u201d \u201cindentured servitude,\u201d or some other semi-politically correct \u201cterm du jour.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Europeans continued to expand their empires around the globe, the need for gold was outweighed by the sheer need for manpower to cultivate the resources in these far off lands. When Spain began their colonization efforts in the Caribbean, including Cuba, they initially enslaved the local Indian population. However, when these indigenous people were all but eliminated through the ravages of war and disease, a new source of manpower had to be found and exploited. It was inevitable that the peaceful trade the Spanish had established with West Africa would soon give way to the massive exporting of the West African population to the New World.<\/p>\n
Over ten million Africans were forcibly removed from their native lands during the European slave trade. Many did not survive the trip across the Atlantic. Of these, over 700,000 were sent to the tiny island of Cuba. Most of the Cuba-bound slaves came from a seven-hundred-mile wide corridor in West Africa that stretched from present-day Senegal and Mali in the north to Zaire and Angola in the south. Many different ethnic groups were affected including the Yoruba.<\/p>\n
The commonality in language and tradition among these people helped form the cohesive ties that bound these groups together spiritually and culturally. It formed the basis by which many of their religious and social practices would fuse and take on a new appearance in Cuba.<\/p>\n
Religious Life in Cuba<\/strong>
\nThe Yorub\u00e1 accounted for almost 45% of the 700,000 slaves sent from West Africa to Cuba. These included the Egba, Egbado, Ijesa, Ijebu, and Oyo. Other Yorub\u00e1-related ethnic groups, including the Fon, Gun, Popos, Bini, and Nupe, accounted for an additional 15% of the slave population. Actually, the term \u201cYoruba\u201d was not even applied to these diverse regional groups until the 19th century. Prior to that, the Yoruba were known as the Lucumi, a term that is still applied in Cuba today and not only defines the spoken language of these people, but identifies those who clearly distinguish themselves as being Nago, Egbado, Ijesa, Oyo, and Ijebu in origin.<\/p>\nThe Yoruba in Cuba continued to worship their Orisha but, under a certain amount of pressure from the Spanish Catholic Church to embrace Catholicism, a process of syncretism ensued. (Syncretism is the fusion of two fundamentally different belief systems such as religions.) The Yoruba manifested a way to camouflage their Orisha deities as Catholic Saints. Some found enough similarities between the Orishas and the Saints to embrace those element of the Catholic religion, while others simply viewed Saints as another manifestation of the Orisha. This camouflaged form of Orisha worship continues today and is known as Santeria.<\/p>\n
In Cuba, these diverse regional groups over time we’re able to form into their own social groups. These social groups allowed people of similar language and ethnic origin, such as the Lucumi (a.k.a., Yoruba) to maintain and continue some of their customs and beliefs. This social structure is known as a cabildo. Many cabildos exist all over the island of Cuba, even today. The Lucumi cabildos honor and celebrate the Orisha in a festival called Bembe. (Thought we\u2019d never get there, did you!)<\/p>\n
So Just What Does \u201cBemb\u00e9\u201d Mean?<\/strong>
\nThe word bemb\u00e9 itself has many different definitions depending on where you might happen to be standing on this planet, and in what context you\u2019re using the word. For example, many different regional groups throughout Africa have used the word Bemb\u00e9 to mean different things.<\/p>\n\n- The Dahomey, Malinke, and Hausa people have a drum named bembe.<\/li>\n
- The Mandinga\u2019s define bembe as a platform upon which a king or great leader might make a ceremonial speech.<\/li>\n
- The Bambara\u2019s call a particular type of tree in their neck of the woods bembe.<\/li>\n
- The Yoruban definition of bembe is derived by conjugating two smaller words \u2013\u00a0be<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0mbe<\/strong>.\u00a0Be<\/strong>\u00a0means \u201cto supplicate, as in a religious prayer or pleading.\u201d\u00a0Mbe<\/strong>\u00a0means \u201cto exist or live.\u201d<\/li>\n
- In Cuba, \u201cBembe\u201d is also defined as:\n
\n- A classification of percussion instruments<\/li>\n
- A religious celebration or gathering<\/li>\n
- The toques, changes, and\/or dances used at these religiouscelebrations and gatherings<\/li>\n
- To communicate, as with the Orisha<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Bembe is also sometimes called\u00a0Bokoso<\/strong>\u00a0which is loosely translated as \u201cto reunite or find\u201d or sometimes even as \u201cthe reunion of the drum.\u201d\u00a0In Cuba, Bokoso means \u201ca festivity, dance, and reunion of people to the sound of the drum,\u201d and is considered to have carried royal connotations.<\/p>\nCuban Styles of Bemb\u00e9<\/h2>\n
In Cuba, there are three distinct styles of Bemb\u00e9 that are played on the Igbin family of drums.<\/p>\n
Bemb\u00e9 Lucum\u00ed<\/h3>\n
Considered the most genuine in form (closest to its African origins), Bemb\u00e9 Lucum\u00ed songs are very old and are always sung in the Lucum\u00ed language.The drums are usually played with sticks. At the start of any Bemb\u00e9 Lucum\u00ed\u00a0celebration, a ritual \u201cfeeding\u201d of the Orish\u00e1 Eleggu\u00e1, guardian of symbolic crossroads, takes place to protect the dance and to encourage good story telling. Even within Bemb\u00e9 Lucum\u00ed, there are several styles of music that appear.<\/p>\n
Makawa<\/h3>\n
Makawa style Bemb\u00e9 Lucum\u00ed\u00a0is characterized as upbeat and funky with an unusual meter or swing to it. In this style of music, the Bemb\u00e9 drums are played with both sticks and hands.<\/p>\n
Bemb\u00e9 Oro<\/h3>\n
Bemb\u00e9 Oro style is extremely popular in Cuba. Considered more modern in origin, it was most profoundly impacted over time by the large Congolese population in Cuba, and by the widespread use of the conga drum in popular music. In this style of music, the drums are played primarily with the hands rather than with sticks. It is also not uncommon for the drums to be accompanied by two bells or guatacas, making the music that much more engaging for the audience. The drums play salutes to each Orish\u00e1 in a form called Oru Cantando.<\/p>\n
Obakoso<\/h3>\n
Obakoso style sits sort of halfway between Bemb\u00e9 Oro and Makawa. It is played more in the Cuba\u2019s cities and suburbs than in the countryside, as it\u2019s particularly \u201claid back\u201d style tends to draw less attention from those nearby neighbors!The lead drum in the Obakoso style of Bembe is played either with one stick and one hand, or with two sticks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Excerpt from the self-study book entitled Bembe Conversations, by Arturo Rodriguez \u2013 Mel Bay Publications) Bembe Conversations Link The Roots of Bemb\u00e9 The history of West Africa springs from three main sources \u2014 archaeology, oral tradition, and the written logs of foreigners who traveled there. Unfortunately, there was no written form of the African-based languages […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
A Brief History of Bemb\u00e9 - Arturo Rodriguez<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arturorodriguez.com\/index.php\/a-brief-history-of-bembe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Brief History of Bemb\u00e9 - Arturo Rodriguez\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Excerpt from the self-study book entitled Bembe Conversations, by Arturo Rodriguez \u2013 Mel Bay Publications) Bembe Conversations Link The Roots of Bemb\u00e9 The history of West Africa springs from three main sources \u2014 archaeology, oral tradition, and the written logs of foreigners who traveled there. 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