…And speaking about homesickness, here’s a WGBH program on bomba. It offers the basics of bomba (including drumming, songwriting, dance, and improvisation) in a little over ten minutes, while also dedicating a few words to honor the Ayala and Cepeda families, Puerto Rico’s bomba sovereigns, who have contributed so much to keep African cultural traditions alive on the island.  [Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] Watch the short documentary at WGBH.

Bomba is an ancient genre of resistance from Puerto Rico created by enslaved people on the island over 400 years ago. Recently, bomba music has been a staple of Black Lives Matter protests calling back to its roots as a music of resilience. Linda Diaz & LA Buckner break down bomba’s musical and cultural elements. Ivelisse Diaz teaches Linda about bomba singing, and LA learns bomba drum rhythms.

To see the documentary, visit https://www.wgbh.org/program/sound-field/why-puerto-rican-bomba-music-is-resistance