When African enslavement is brought up, resistance is often left out. Masters were poisoned, fires were set, martial arts were used, but have you heard of maroon towns? These were entire communities developed by self-liberated (formerly enslaved) Africans, and their descendants still occupy them today. Not only that, there is a rich culture and music that was (and continues to be) composed in these maroon towns. Different regions of the diaspora have different names for maroon towns. Brazil calls them quilombos. In Panama, they are cimarrones. The US and Jamaica call them maroon towns. Our upcoming exhibition will focus on the areas that are colonially called Colombia and Panama.”
“The William Grant Still Arts Center presents its 15th Annual African American Composers’ Series Bullerengue and Beyond: Learning the Palenques of the South West Caribbean Through Sound. This year, we are expanding our definition of American by looking beyond the borders of the United States and into the music of communities along the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Panama. We are also looking beyond our canonized forms of approaching who is a composer.”
“With origins in the Congo, Angola and West Africa, we are learning that bullerengue, cumbia, vallenato, and salsa use sounds and polyrhythms that mirror those found in nature. The exhibition will also include vibrant Caribbean Pico culture. Picos are huge hand-painted speaker stacks used to blast music out to the community. Much like a Pico, we seek to amplify the resilient and anonymous voices through whom oral and sonic tradition has kept maroon communities thriving. Come witness what we have learned!”
When: Opens April 1st
Where: 2520 S West View Street, LA, CA, 90016
Questions: 323 734 1165
