Creolization in Caribbean Music- Spanish

                         In this blog today, we will be looking at the different Caribbean Spanish speaking countries that are: Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. First we will dive into Cuba and take a look at the musical aspect of Cuba. 

 

With the history of Cuban music, there are a few musical styles but the one that stands out to me most is the Afrocubanismo music. Afrocubanismo is said to be an "artistic and literary movement that all developed in Cuba in 1928 and 1940" according to Jenkins, E. (2011) . We know that with African music it depicts drama, dance and gestures. So therefore, with Afrocubanismo it shares a similarity because it uses rhythms, call and response, of African style of music to create a vibrant movement. Santeria and Rumba are both musical styles of Afrocubanismo music, but we will look at the diversity with the Santeria Style. 

                                                  Santeria Ritual - Havana, Cuba 2014

In the video above you they are performing their cultural ritual, the video shows the lead person and then the other in the persons in the video are conducting a call and response and that is what Santeria music is all about. Here you can see the dancer performing according to the rhythm off the music that is being played. The main instrument of this performance are the Bata drums, this drum is the instrument that sets the rhythm and tone for the entire performance. As you can see, in the video the lady starts off with wearing a white dress and the young man was bareback and as you continue to watch the video you would realized that due to the changes off song selection they both changed their outfits and the guy wore dramatic costumes. 

Next, in our blog we will take a look at Dominican Republic 

In the country of Dominican Republic, they are known for their biggest festival which is the Dominican Carnival. Carnaval Dominicano is celebrated every Sunday in the month of February, it is a festival that displays the Dominican cultures and familiarity. It unites and brings everyone together to celebrate the festivities with love ones. There are many substances that attracts the country which includes, the music, food and dance, but the main sentiment that is enthused by others are the massive costumes that are worn on the parade. It sets a different vibe between the northern and south African side of the creolization coast. It makes Dominican Republic different because it sets a tone and demonstrates its, history, culture and the people of the country. 

Dominican Carnival Characters- Guide to Dominican Republic

The mask displayed above is called the Diablo Carielo (Devil who walks with a limp) mask. Most of the masks are homemade by those wearing it and group participants, but one like this one in the picture that is more enhanced it is professionally made with horns, real teeth and skin that comes from cows. 

 

                                                        Dominican Carnival 🎉🥳 Santo Domingo

In the above video you can see authenticity, talent, and differentiation in each costume that is worn on the parade. Preparing for the carnival takes time, dedication and hard work because it demonstrates their strength and identity as a country. What caught my attention was how much off a similarity there was with the artwork and huge costumes because it reminds me of The Bahamian Junkanoo Costumes. 

Lastly, we are going to get a taste of the Caribbean country of Puerto Rico. 

In this final part of our blog, we are going to look at how creolization is demonstrated in the food and authenticity of Puerto Rico. The main dish of Puerto Rico is Arroz con gandules, this meal is inclusive of  rice, pigeon peas, and pork that is cooked along with sofrito, which is a mixture of seasoning and herbs. The Arroz con gandules can be paired along with Pork. 

Arroz con gandules y pollo

The reason why this meal is Puerto Rico's main dish, is because it is seen as a mean of celebration for the country. Seeing that they harvested many plants and sugar, one of the plants that was harvested is called Gandule which created a seed that was used in many Puerto Rican dishes, and Aroz con gandules happens to be one of them so they then in turn named this dish and it is a dish that is preferbaly used for holidays. This is another aspect of creolization and shows how there is a similarity with other Caribbean speaking countries. Just like Puerto Rico, Jamaica and The Bahamas all share the same qualities with the background of rice with pigeon peas. Jamaica calls there rice and peas and they use kidney beans along with seasoning and herbs to add flavor, and so does The Bahamas they call it peas n rice, they use pigeon peas, coconut peas or kidney beans all share the same ingredients and that is the coordination of creolization factoring in more than one country. 

                                            Puerto Rican Arroz Con Gandules | Perfect every time | Mari's Cooking

Reference

Jenkins, E. (2011). Pan-African Chronology III: A Comprehensive Reference to the Black Quest for Freedom in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia, 1914-1929. United Kingdom: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.

Miles, A. (2020). Party Like A Dominican at Santo Domingo Carnival

Gascon-Lopez, R. (2023). Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas)