Find Afro-Peruvian Music in the Afropop Shop

A blind listener might think that Afro-Peruvian music sounds a bit like its cousins in Venezuela, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, a mix of Spanish and West African: percussion, scrapers, acoustic guitars, bass and vocals. Without the visuals, one would regrettably miss the spectacular Afro-Peruvian dances and its unusual set of musical instruments. During colonial times, the Spanish actually banned drums throughout Peru. Percussionist and documentarian Manongo Mujica explains that there is evidence in old drawings by French and British travelers, as well as some Spanish muralists that African drums and marimbas once existed in Peru. Fearing its use in communication on one hand, and its overpowering effect on its audience, transforming participants into trance-like states, something not very popular with the Catholic church, the authorities were paralyzed. They were no longer able to preach their Christian dogmas. They thought, "Maybe the music, the rhythm and the religion are connected. Maybe it is a signal from the devil."

So they decided to ban these instruments. The prohibition was for drums with skins, marimbas and other traditional instruments. While the Spanish were able to ban these specific instruments, they couldn't eliminate human creativity. The slaves began playing chairs, tables, and the wooden boxes used to carry agricultural products. These wooden boxes were soon developed into the cajon, the large wooden box that today is the national instrument of Peru.

Flamenco fans may have seen legendary guitarist Paco de Lucia with a cajon player in his ensemble. When Paco de Lucia visited Peru nearly 20 years ago, the Spanish ambassador threw a party. Among those present was Caitro Soto, one of Peru's top percussionists. Soto gave de Lucia a cajon as a present. He also gave the guitarist basic tips on the instrument, which has now become a standard part de Lucia's flamenco ensemble. Ironically, today, many people think that the instrument is Spanish. It is 100% Peruvian.

Another one of Peru's famous musical instrument boxes is the cajita. Imagine a trapezoidal shaped box about the size of a child's jack-in-a-box. One hand opens and closes the lid while the other hits the box with a wooden stick. The cajita also had Catholic origins. It was adapted from the wooden boxes that the priests used every Sunday in church to gather the weekly collection. The result wasn't exactly what those priests had in mind.

In much of Africa and the Americas, scrapers and shakers are frequently made by cutting ridges into gourds, or by attaching shells to them. Black Peruvians, of course, have a different tradition. They use the quijada de burro, literally the jawbone of a donkey. They take an old jawbone from a dead donkey, let it dry out, and loosen the teeth. Then, when it is struck with the palm, it produces a wonderful shhhhh-tshhhhhh sound. Running a stick along the teeth allows it to double as a scraper. While Peru isn't the only place that uses the quijada, it is the place most strongly associated with this unusual scraper and shaker.

Festejo

As its name suggests, this is a festive music (from "fiesta," Spanish for party). The festejo is the most joyous of Afro-Peruvian music styles. Vocalist Susana Baca's research traces the festejo back to the era of slavery in Peru. "After independence in Peru and the abolition of slavery," she explains, "people who were slaves only wanted to forget that part of their lives, to erase all memory of that stage of history. Anyone who has lived through that type of experience could understand why. Erasing memory signified erasing melodies, erasing songs, erasing dances, and erasing traditions. There were times in the early part of the 20th Century when an African descendant would be asked if he or she could remember a slave song. This person would say that they could not remember, but they remembered. This is all an answer, a way of confronting slavery." Baca explains that Agusto Asquez, (born in the 19th century and lived until the early 1990s) traced many of the traditional aspect of the festejo in an interview with music research Don Jose Duran. Asquez explained that the festejo was a competition of men, a male circular confrontation, a series of fighting rhythms. The men carried the cajones in this musical competition reminiscent of Brazilian capoiera.

Today, the festejo dances more closely reflect their festive name. The movements are extremely sensual and undulating. The body talks, dancing exactly with the rhythm. Every sound triggers a movement by the body. The dancers follow each strike of the cajon and other instruments in this sensual communication.

Lando

Nicomedes Santa Cruz, one of Peru's leading musicians has done a great deal of research into the origins of the lando. He explains that its origins are from a dance in Angola called "londu" that came with the slaves when the arrived in Brazil from Angola. Even today, the "londo" exists in Brazil. The Peruvian lando has become so closely associated with Black Peruvina music (such as the "son" to Cuba and the "samba" to Brazil) that it has almost become "the" sound of Black Peru. The lando is a mix of both Spanish and African rhythms. Many of these slower and mid-tempo ballads like "Samba Malato" have become Peruvian anthems.

Toro Mata

"Toro Mata" means, "The Bull Kills." If there was a national anthem of Afro-Peruvian music, it would be Toro Mata. Carlos "Caitro" Soto de la Colina was a member of Peru Negro's legendary lineup in the early 1970s, which also included cajonero Chocolate and vocalist Lucila Campos. De la Colina remembers hearing elements of "Toro Mata" in his infancy. His version, originally recorded by Peru Negro in 1973 swept the country. Today, it is almost impossible to go to an Afro-Peruvian concert without hearing this song. Singer and researcher Susana Baca has found different versions of "Toro Mata" sung by elderly musicians from all across Peru, including one about an old conflict between Peru and Chile warning about the war with the Chileans in place of the dreaded bull. Another version warns about a murderous Spanish General. Baca explains that there are even old versions of "Toro Mata" sung in verse that mirror a competition accompanied by the harmonica. "Toro Mata" isn't just a song; it is an anthem, indeed an entire sub-genre of Peruvian music.

The Alcatraz

The Alacatraz is one of the most flirtatious and erotic dances in the world, and also a dance with a remarkable sense of humor. This is a couple's dance. Traditionally, the woman has a piece of tissue on her behind while the man dances with a lit candle. If the man can light the woman's fire, she is his. It is one of the most spectacular parts of Peru Negro's (one of the leading groups in Afro-Peruvian music) live shows. They perform most weekends at the upscale nightclub, Manos Morenos, in Lima, Peru. For their Alcatraz, Peru Negro has six dancers (three couples). Each dancer has a piece of red tissue paper attached between their legs, and of course the lit candle. The dancers are dressed in white, the women in short white skirts. They proceed to gyrate wildly swinging and swaying their hips to avoid being lit. Eventually, one of the dancers succeeds and the "burning dancer" gyrates uncontrollably until finally collapsing and grinding against the floor to put out the flames. Needless to say, the Alcatraz was forbidden by the colonial authorities during the slavery period for being "immoral." But in fact, this dance--full of energy and excitement, and a sense of danger--captures the true Peruvian experience.

Afro-Peruvian Music in the Afropop Shop

Contributed by: Dan Rosenberg