November 30th, 2023

Tambor y Caña, Escuela de Tambores Afrovenezolanos y Percusión Afrolatina (E.T.A.P.A.), and Afro-Codigos are Brooklyn-based Afro-Venezuelan drumming groups. These groups comprise of Afro-Venezuelan immigrants from the Venezuelan states Aragua, Maracuyi, and Carabobo. These organizations aim to host events and workshops to inform participants about Afro-Venezuelan musical performance, sound, and dance. These non-profit organizations share and teach Afro-Venezuelan music to vast areas of the NYC area and across the United States. This presentation aims to highlight the Afro-Venezuelan rhythmic traditions tied to the Afro-Venezuelan diaspora communities found in the coastal regions of Venezuela. 

For one hour, the musicians presented a series of rhythms and musical forms performed during the Fiesta de San Juan Bautista, including the Sangueo de Ocumare, Sangueo de Cata, and El Golpe de Tambor de Choroni. San Juan el Bautista is worshiped on the 24th of June, with rituals, festivals, chants, dance, music, and different Afro-Venezuelan percussion ensembles. The Venezuelan states that celebrate include Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, Yaracuy, and Guarico. These states contain significant Afro-Venezuelan populations. The celebration was implemented on an assimilation basis by the church, but the enslaved celebrated ancient African deities instead as a form of resistance, resilience, and even resignification (Lenwinat 2016; Izard 1996).  During this celebration, drums incorporate singing and dancing for the saint. Musical forms that are featured include the Sangueo and the golpe.

This event simultaneously aimed to expose attendees to the current organizations and events presented by Afro-Venezuelan drumming groups within New York City. With the incorporation of social media today, such as Instagram and Facebook, Tambor y Caña, Escuela de Tambores Afrovenezolanos y Percusión Afrolatina (E.T.A.P.A.), and Afro-Codigos share performances, teach classes, and share a piece of their Afro-Venezuelan culture to raise awareness about the diasporic communities. Tambor y Caña and E.T.A.P.An often post performances in Carabobo, Miranda, and Aragua, Venezuela. The groups share their music and rhythm to combat the continued erasure of the African and Afro-Latin experiences, music, and language from the history of various Latin-American countries.