Week 4: Homework for Amy and Julie

Document a object about cultural history

The 'Txumbé'

We use the txumbé for our traditional dance: batuku(the forbidden dance). Batuku is considered the most ancient musical genre of Cabo Verde islands. It's a cultural manifestation that combines singing and dancing but brings a much profound meaning. This manifestation was brought or invented by the first slaves that arrived to the archipelago and lives through these days in the islands of Santiago and Maio as an uncontested African heritage and testimonial of Cabo Verde's historical path. But more about this in the group project;) Back to the txumbé...

Txumbé can be made of everything basically. You could use a plastic bag and fill it with sand or old clothes (see first picture). You could also use faux leather filled with old clothes and use tape to wrap everything up (see second picture). Aslong it makes noise!

We use the txumbé to create a kind of rhythm. The music starts slow and as it goes, it gains rhythm and pace until it reaches its peak. It is only than that the dancers come in with their hips moving at the rate of the txabeta. The swinging of the hips demands body control and coordination but it seems natural to the dancers that flow with the music. See the video!

Amy's classes

Julie's classes: lost item

What: fan
Why: gifted from a friend who lived in China
When: lost it in Barcelona 2018 ;(