Summer Event Series highlights Congolese influence in Caribbean music and dance

This summer the Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC) will present a series of music performances, a film screening, and moderated conversations exploring the many Congolese influences in Caribbean music and dance. The first of three events, held on June 24, was a conversation about “The Congo Influence in Puerto Rican Bomba,” between Nkumu Katalay and Alex LaSalle, bandleader of Alma Moyo,  followed by a performance of their ensembles.

This is part of the BMHC’s signature Bronx Rising! series, which brings the Bronx’s cultural riches, past and present, to life. The BMHC is committed to preserving and promoting Bronx music, cultivating Bronx artists, spurring neighborhood revival, and providing free cultural programs for the community.

“West Central Africa, popularly known as Congo or Bantu, brought a trove of ideas and music to the Americas. We are proud to shine a light on this vibrant cultural legacy with our programming this summer,” said Elena Martínez, co-artistic director of the BMHC.

Martinez added that being from the Bronx, “it’s great to take part in this organization, with a focus of having entertaining and educational programming, while also giving back to the community.” For her, as a Puerto Rican woman, it’s important to be “doing stuff that’s interesting, and to be always learning from Puerto Rican and other communities.”

The Congolese influence in the South Bronx is embodied with Cuban-born composer, bandleader, and musician Arsenio Rodriguez, who was born in the Matanzas region of Cuba. He was a direct descendant of Bantu-Congolese culture, and he is attributed with being the first Cuban bandleader to add the conga drum to dance band performance. The conga drum is a stylized descendant of the “ngome” drum from Bantu-Congolese culture.

Nkumu Katalay, on bass guitar, wearing a cream hat. A member of his Life Long Project band is standing behind him on stage. Photo by Elena Martinez, co-artistic director of the Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC)

Learn more about Arsenio Rodriguez here: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/arsenio-rodr%C3%ADguez-mn0000600775/biography.

Learn more about the history of music in the Bronx here: https://www.thisisbronxmusic.org/bronx-music-history/.

The series will continue on Saturday, July 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the BMHC Lab, at 1303 Louis Niñé Blvd. with “Congo Roots in the Diaspora: Kumina in Jamaica,” featuring a screening of the film “Kumina Queen,” followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A with the film’s director Nyasha Laing and anthropologist Dr. Kenneth Bilby about the Congo influence in popular Jamaican music.

An ancestral ritual based on African traditions in Jamaica, Kumina is a distinct, expressive spiritual folk form that traveled to Jamaica with Kikongo-speaking laborers from central Africa during the 19th century. Its basic elements are song, dance, and trance possession.

The series will conclude on Saturday, August 26 at 4:00 on the Bronx Music Hall Plaza at 438 E. 163rd St., at the corner of Washington Ave., with Congo Roots in the Diaspora: “Quien no tiene de Kongo tiene de Karabalí” (translated as “Whoever does not have Kongo has Karabalí,” which refers to the popular Cuban phrase that everyone has some African blood).

This event will feature a performance by the Román Díaz Ensemble and discussion between Román Díaz, cultural historian Dr. Ivor Miller, and BMHC co-artistic director Bobby Sanabria, exploring how Congolese influences have shaped Cuban traditions, producing some of the most famous performance ensembles of the island.

Admission for the July event at the BMHC Lab is $10, with a discounted rate of $5 for students and seniors. Events in the outdoor plaza are free. For more information, call the BMHC at (917) 557-2354.