Emerging from the poor districts of Havana and Matanzas in the 19th century, today rumba is one of Cuba’s most popular art forms. Influenced by African and Spanish traditions of music and dance, its distinctive, syncopated sound requires masterful musicianship and fierce passion from its performers.
But, despite being born of marginalisation and oppression, modern Cuban rumba culture is, in many ways, still deeply conservative. Indeed, some of its most prominent practitioners view it as unladylike, even borderline blasphemous, for women to drum in rumba bands.
Read more courtesy of Aeon.co
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