I really doubt that it has anything to do with the turn of the 20th century development of the bongo in Cuba.
akdom wrote:Hi Facundo
As I mentionned in another post, I have the booklets that sum up the several volumes of Mr. Ortiz, and you are right, they are THE reference in that field.
I am ver y happy to see that people are getting more and more interrested by history, culture and backgrounds of afro cuban instruments and rhythms. Like in traditional West African music, it is very hard to understand a rhythm if we don't get as much background as possible.
B
Berimbau wrote:Actually, very much is now KNOWN regarding even the smallest details of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, including the specific names of boats, captains, where they left from, landed, and even the ethnic mix of their human cargo. One need only go to a decent university library and consult the works of Curtin, Rawley, et al.
Yes there were Muslims in the African slave trade to Cuba, but they were in the distinct minority. Most of these unfortunate souls were taken from the Western Sudanic belt in a geographic area that included parts of Mali as well as Northern Ghana and Nigeria. Morocco was NOT a part of these slave trade routes, again those routes went in the opposite direction, from Mali TO Morocco!
Yes the Arabic greeting is found in some Palo ceremonies. I cannot at present remember the source for it (I'm pleading Katrina brain) but it could even have come from Southern Spain, which WAS under Arabic domination for centuries! I don't find it's use here particularly significant. Many New World African religions are noted for such transcultural interchanges.
As to the term Tbila, it is derived from the same Arabic root word as Tabla, which has been used for centuries in North Africa to describe both the goblet and kettle drums. Indians actually borrowed the term from the Arabs as their own twin "tabla" drums were being developed.
Saludos,
Berimbau
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