The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture [Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP)], the Eternal Roots Research and Culture Center [Centro de Investigación y Cultura Raíces Eternas (CICRE)] and the Afrolegacy Project [Proyecto Afrolegado] announced that the 30th Anniversary of Los Bombazos will be held on Saturday, May 20, at 1:00 pm, at the Institute headquarters in Old San Juan.

This event commemorates the rise and resurgence of Bomba festivities in Puerto Rico and its reach in the diaspora, which is considered to be of high historical caliber.

“We welcome the 30th Anniversary of Los Bombazos to our headquarters, an event that invites us to rediscover the heritage and riches of our Afro-descendants. We invite you to enjoy this cultural event that brings together Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico and the diaspora. In addition, you may take the opportunity to see the “legacy” exhibition—”Muestra Legado”—which includes a selection of works from our National Collection,” said Carlos Ruiz Cortés, executive director of the ICP.

In addition to bomba groups from all regions of Puerto Rico, representatives from New York, Philadelphia, and Panama will also participate in the gathering. Los Bombazos is an event that has been held annually since its first edition, on May 18, 1993. [. . .]

The activities will begin with the colloquium “History and development of the bombazos” and a panel of representatives from various bomba regions in Puerto Rico and the diaspora. There will also be a musical performance with a collective, town plenazo to greet and welcome the plena rhythm. The activity will continue with a reading, to the rhythm of bomba and plena, of the ” Trasfondo Histórico de los Bombazos y los Plenazos,” followed by an act of remembrance, respect, and gratitude to our ancestors for the legacy of our traditions, customs, and Puerto Rican idiosyncrasies. The public will be able to enjoy the poems “El Bombazo y Bomba del Nuevo Milenio,” by Michael Cruz Rodríguez—better known as Dulce E’ Coco. There will also be a solo of Tambores de Plena y Bomba by maestro Víctor Emmanuelli Náter, followed by a posthumous tribute to various artists such as Héctor Tito Matos, Miguel Flores, Tite Curet, Norma Salazar, Rafaela Balladares, Benny Ayala, Amílcar Tirado, Roberto Angleró, Isabel Albizu, Ramón López, José Chema Soto, Félix Figueroa, and Héctor Atabal Rodríguez, among others. [. . .]

Excerpts translated by Ivette Romero. For full article (in Spanish), see https://www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimiento/cultura/notas/celebraran-30-anos-de-los-bombazos-en-la-sede-del-icp/