Marien Torres

July 2018

Founded in 2003 by Marién Torres López, Taller Tambuye is a cultural and social project that promotes our Caribbean identity, our African and indigenous heritage. The Tambuvé Workshop develops the historical-cultural link between the communities of Puerto Rico and the intangible cultural heritage of the Puerto Rican Bomba and other Afro-Antillean musical and social genres.

Transcript

MTL/AM (0:08): My name is Marién Torres López, and I’m the director of Taller Tambuyé, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about Puerto Rican bomba.

MTL/AM (0:34): Bomba is Puerto Rico’s oldest musical tradition. It is about 450 years old, and it is very much part of our African heritage. Bomba consists of three fundamental elements: Singing, drumming, and dancing. One person dances at a time, and when they do they are in direct conversation with the lead drummer, who we call primo or subido. With the movements of their body, the dancer dictates the music that the subido drummer plays — That’s bomba.

MTL/AM (1:13): Bomba is a reflection of its society. Though traditionally dominated by men, in the wake of social and gender struggles, you can find women playing drums too. That used to be strictly prohibited.

MTL/AM (1:35): Through my project I’ve had the opportunity to use Puerto Rican bomba as a tool for change. A tool to help us not forget our history. Puerto Rico has been a colony for more than 500 years, and I practice bomba to remember the colonial history which defines us as resilient people.

MTL/AM (2:03): The hurricane revealed that the Puerto Rican government is not prepared to respond to emergencies. So now bomba takes on a new importance. It’s not only about partying and having fun. Bomba also creates spaces of relief, spaces for healing, spaces where you can develop a sense of community.

MTL/AM (2:33): In the hurricane dance, we portray the forces of nature using different choreography. The volcano is a mix of earth and fire; the hurricane is a combination of water and air. Lastly, we perform the birth of a tree. Hurricanes traditionally have had female names, like Iris and María. The fact that a woman portrays the hurricane seems important to me, because women are a vital part of the cycle of life. I decided that the hurricanes would be performed by women so that they would bring that force of creation to the dance.

[Bomba dance starts]

MTL/AM (3:56): I definitely think that bomba feels different to Puerto Ricans. Anyone can appreciate the music, but someone who has lived through an actual hurricane is going to appreciate it in a unique way.

MTL/AM (4:22) [Fade to black as Marién continues to play the drum, credits begin to roll]