"Anya" the spirit of the sacred drums

In santeria, anya is the sacred force that lives within the batá drums.
This sacred force is even considered by some santeros as a true orisha.

Santeria is the animist religion practised by a majority of Cubans, it is
very similar to Candomble in Brazil and Haïtian Voodoo. It is based on
the West African religions (Nigeria, Benin) introduced to the Caribbean
by Yoruba natives brought as slaves. At the beginning, the slaves were
forced to convert to Catholicism but eventually managed to preserve
their religious tradition by fusing together their beliefs and rituals and
by syncretising them with elements from the surrounding Catholic
culture. They had no choice but to disguise their orishas - deities - as
Catholic saints. In Cuba this religious tradition has evolved into what is
now recognized as santeria which is the main religion practiced today.

A large number of rituals and ceremonies of santeria is accompanied
with music. Even if this music is most of the time interpreted by small
bands - including hardly more than 4 percussionists, a singer and the
choir of followers - it is striking to notice how incredibly rich this
ancestral and timeless music is. The highly praised creativity of Cuban
musicians derives from the legacy of their musical tradition. Rumba,
contradanza, tumba francesa, danzón, son, mambo or more recently
timba all originate from traditional Afro-Cuban music with strong
European (quadrille or bolero in the 19th century) or north-American
(jazz or funk in the 20th century) influences.

I have been fascinated from an early age by Afro-Cuban music and by
its admirable diversity resulting from the mixing of different cultures,

<<< Previous                                                                                                                         Next >>>  

Ensemble Nord Sud musique contemporaine 
 
  | Home | The Ensemble | The musicians | "Anya" | View/listen | Schedule | Partners | Contact |