As the workers moved San Juan and other urban areas, bomba (as well as plena) became a part of urban cultural life. Regardless of its original birthplace, the genre continued to develop in coastal towns such as Ponce, Loíza Aldea and Mayaguez where in the 1800s large communities of black workers gathered around sugar cane mills. Some historians say that the bomba first developed Loíza, a town on the Northeast coast of Puerto Rico with a strong African presence. As with other music traditions that originate in West Africa, dance and music are inseparable counterparts in a bomba performance. Bomba dances were performed during important social or community events.
The mask was supposed to scare away the evil spirits and pirates that populated the Caribbean. During festivals that honored the Christian saint, bomba music was played and a traditional mask, called “vejigante” in Spanish, was worn. Tito Matos, leader of the Puerto Rican group Viento de Agua, describes plena as “the newspaper of the people.” Plena has only one basic rhythm, in contrast to bomba´s sixteen rhythms.įorbidden from worshiping their ancient African gods, the African communities fused their customs onto the worship of St James. They convey a story about events, address topical themes, often comment on political protest movements, and offer satirical commentaries. Plena developed from bomba music around the beginning of the 20th century in southern Puerto Rico. Although the bomba developed as a secular dance form, it provided an outlet for spiritual expression and release as well.īomba and plena are often mentioned together as though they were a single musical style, both reflect the African heritage of Puerto Rico, but there are basic distinctions between them in rhythm, instrumentation, and lyrics. Performing and dancing the bomba provided a social and political outlet for a people burdened with the hardships of slavery bomba was danced at the sugar plantations on Saturday nights and holidays, usually in open areas in the sugarcane fields or in the plazas of the town square. Bomba’s roots may trace back to the Akan people of modern Ghana, the original ancestors of much of the black population of Puerto Rico. But bomba also moved them to dance and celebrate, helping them create community and identity.Ĭreated on Puerto Rico’s colonial sugar plantations by African slaves and their descendants, bomba is the most purely African music genre of Puerto Rico and one of the oldest, dating back to the 1680s. The lyrics conveyed a sense of anger and sadness about their condition, and songs served as a catalyst for rebellions and uprisings. From Africa to Puerto Rico: Bomba Bomba music was a source of political and spiritual expression.
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