Queli loves candies made with coconut and sesame. Her constant smile foresees an easygoing character, perhaps because of that she looks younger, \u201clet\u2019s not talk about age \u2013women should not be asked about that\u201d. She belongs to the seventh generation of the Venet Danger family, which has kept active the society Tumba francesa La Caridad de Oriente, in the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba.<\/p>\n
She can\u2019t cook yet; she is waiting for her mother to reveal her some secrets treasured for a century and a half. However, she is old enough to undertake certain responsibilities such as \u201cpara decirle a usted\u201d: she is Mayora de Plaza, or gobernadora de sal\u00f3n, and in addition she plays the cat\u00e1 drum, a leading instrument in percussion. \u201cWithout cat\u00e1 drums there is no tumba francesa\u201d, she said proudly.<\/p>\n
These are the same drums since the foundation of the society on February 24, 1862. They are still preserved in perfect conditions, as a live relic, drummers are in charge of repairing and tuning them. It is said that during the independence wars some of those rustic empty trunks were used for transporting weapons.<\/p>\n
The party starts, that\u2019s the meaning of tumba: joy, revelry. And it is \u201cFrench\u201d because of French-Haitian migration by the end of the 18th<\/sup> century, with the start of the revolution in Saint Domingue. Thus, slaves combined the refinement from Versailles court with the African dancing and singing.<\/p>\n Movements are softened with minuet and contredans, with gallant steps, barely lifting the feet from the ground. The friction between the wide skirts becomesa whisper, while the choir is accompanied by marugas with color ribbons.<\/p>\n Then, percussion adds intensity and rhythm, in an unthinkable mix that easily flows and makes people enjoy it. Some specialists believe this centenarian manifestation is an antecedent of guaguanc\u00f3 and Cuban rumba, and has common element with chang\u00fc\u00ed and krewes.<\/p>\n Among the dancers, one is barely high enough to reach his couple\u2019s shoulder, but he holds her hand like a gentleman. That\u2019s Queli\u2019s son, his name is Kevin and he is 8 years old. His age is not important if he was born for that and he proves it in his frent\u00e9, \u201cduel\u201d where the dancer and the premier or mother drums challenge each other.<\/p>\n They call \u201cmumbo jumbo\u201d the mixture of creole, Spanish and French that is comprised in their songs. Their songs talk about love, homeland, daily life, sorrows and misfortunes, and satires every Tuesdays and Thursday night.<\/p>\n Today, it is all about happiness at 268, Carnicer\u00eda Street, a colonial big house where the neighbors watch them perform. \u201cWhoever comes here \u2013says Queli\u2013 will find a peaceful, harmonious, spiritual environment\u201d. As it is the tradition, the Cuban flag chairs the hall, along with the Virgin of la Caridad del Cobre, Cuba\u2019s patroness, and portraits of rebel generals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Queli loves candies made with coconut and sesame. Her constant smile foresees an easygoing character, perhaps because of that she looks younger, \u201clet\u2019s not talk about age \u2013women should not be asked about that\u201d. She belongs to the seventh generation of the Venet Danger family, which has kept active the society Tumba francesa La Caridad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2370,"featured_media":29444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13930],"tags":[7927],"ppma_author":[33664,6994],"class_list":["post-29645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technologies-of-communication-and-media","tag-tumba-francesa-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n