This website is developed and maintained with the support of the Governments of Spain and Japan. Cultural expressions born out of the tragedy of the slave trade and slavery
- Maroon heritage of Moore Town
- © The Institut of Jamaïca
Maroon heritage of Moore Town
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Situated in the highlands of eastern Jamaica, Moore Town is home to the descendants of independent communities of former runaway slaves known as Maroons. The African ancestors of the Moore Town Maroons were forcibly removed from their native lands to the Caribbean by Spanish slave traders in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The term Maroon, derived from the Spanish word cimarrón (wild), refers to those slaves who fled the plantations in the early 1600s and established their own settlements in the Blue and Johncrow Mountains of eastern Jamaica. Read more…
- Slaves from Haiti brought the Tumba Francesa tradition to Cuba’s Oriente province in the eighteenth century, merging West African traditions with French dances and Spanish influences. The distinctive drumming that accompanies dances and songs gave the tradition its name, Tumba Francesa, the French Drum.
- © UNESCO / Montserrat Martell Domingo
La Tumba Francesa
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The dance, song and drumming style known as Tumba Francesa (French Drum) was brought to Cuba by Haitian slaves who were resettled in the island’s eastern regions following the unrest in Haiti during the 1790s. It embodies one of the oldest and most tangible links to the Afro-Haitian heritage of Cuba’s Oriente province and developed from an eighteenth- century fusion of music from Dahomey in West Africa and traditional French dances. After Cuba’s abolition of slavery in 1886 and the resulting migration of former slaves to urban areas in search of work, Tumba Francesa societies emerged in several cities. Read more…
- Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia
- © Luiz Santoz / UNESCO
Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The Samba de Roda, which involves music, dance and poetry, is a popular festive event that developed in the State of Bahia, in the region of Recôncavo during the seventeenth century. It drew heavily on the dances and cultural traditions of the region’s African slaves. The performance also included elements of Portuguese culture, such as language, poetry, and certain musical instruments. Read more…
Cocolo dance drama tradition
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The Cocolo dancing drama tradition developed among descendants of British Caribbean slaves who had come to the Dominican Republic in the mid-nineteenth century to work in the sugar fields. This linguistically and culturally distinct community set up their own churches, schools, benevolent societies and mutual assistance lodges. Their most distinctive expressions, however, were annual dancing drama performances. Originally pejorative, the term “Cocolo”, which refers to the migrants working on the British sugar plantation of the island, is now used proudly. Read more…
- Cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio
- © Ministry of Culture of republic of Colombia
Cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The village of Palenque de San Basilio, with a population of about 3,500 inhabitants, is located in the foothills of the Montes de María, southeast of the regional capital, Cartagena. Palenque de San Basilio was one of the walled communities called palenques, which were founded by escaped slaves as a refuge in the seventeenth century. Of the many palenques that existed in former times, only San Basilio has survived until the present day. It developed into a unique cultural space. Read more…
- Carnival of Barranquilla
- © Ministry of Culture of republic of Colombia
Carnival of Barranquilla
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Every year during the four days before Lent, the Carnival de Barranquilla offers a repertory of dances and musical expressions originating from different Colombian sub-cultures. Because of its geographical location situated on the Caribbean coast and the commercial development during the colonial period, the city of Barranquilla became one of the country’s busiest trading centres and a place where European, African, and indigenous peoples and cultures converged. Read more…