Spanish and Portuguese
Rumba Clave Blen Blen Blen is a song of praise to the musical genre of rumba in New York City. It explores the city's Afro-Cuban culture and unravels the African and Andalusian origins of rumba, following both ordinary people and famous musicians through its dances, drums, and clave rhythm. The film is a poem of color and music that brings to the surface the symbolic religious cosmogonies of Bantu, Abakua, Yoruba, and Arara traditions that have nourished the genre. By paying homage to its masters, including Chano Pozo and his collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Rumba Clave Blen Blen Blen traces the history of a genre through the words and sounds of scholars, producers, artists, and musicians who continue to practice it today.
Join us on Friday March 23 as we welcome director Arístides Falcón Paradí for a screening of the film, followed by a session of Q&A. The event will take place at the Institute of Contemporary Art from 5:00-7:00pm. Refreshments will be served. Following the screening, all are invited for a night of live rumba and dancing at iMPeRFeCT Gallery (5539 Germantown Ave.) from 9:30pm onward. Transportation will be provided upon request (farrahr@upenn.edu). Both events are free to the public.
Hosted by CAMRA and generously co-sponsored by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC), the Department of Africana Studies, the Center for Africana Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS), and Penn Music.