History:
In order to meet the demand of labourers for the sugar cane, cocoa, and coffee plantations, several African ethnic groups were enslaved and transported to the islands of Central America between 1500 and 1800 during the Spaniard (Spanish colonial) period in the Caribbean. Each ethnic group descended from a different family of rhythms each had their unique pulse, different time, and distinct drums and they had never connected before. In those days, slaves were forbidden from participating in their sacred dance and drumming rituals throughout all the Islands of North and South America.. All except Cuba, the jewel of the Caribbean, the first place slaves gained the freedom to enjoy their traditional Customs and Ceremonies. Years of pain during which the human being was oppressed, degraded and used for profit till their last drop of sweat and blood. The only way to get through it was to pray to their gods and participate in the customary ceremonies that included dance and drumming. Oneness united them all. No distinction made on religion or anything else; rather they united together to build their resilience and to grow stronger. The combination of African drumming, meeting with the tradition of the Tainos (one of the main groups of Caribbean indigenous), and piercing harmonies and melodies of European classical and Spanish Gypsy music led to the birth of the most complex and fabulous music genre of all time, the Afro-Cuban music. Holding this wonderful mix of rhythms and culture together is the Clave, the most fascinating and enigmatic key, without which, none of this would be possible.
