|
|
 |
Afro-Peruvian culture to fill Stone Center tonight
|
| Click Here to go back. |
The Daily Tar Heel, Afro-Peruvian culture to fill Stone Center tonight >>
When the use of a drum meant punishment or death for slaves in Peru, they used farm crates, tithe boxes and dried donkey jawbones to create their music instead.
Hundreds of years later, the farm crate has become the cajon, the tithe box, the cajita and the donkey jaw, the quijada de burro. Afro-Peruvian msuic and traditions also have developed into one of the world's richest and most fascinating cultures.
Tonight, in a collaborative effort between the Caroline Union Performing Arts Series and the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, Peru Negro - an ensemble of more than 30 dancers, musicians and singers - will bring the creativity and originality of Afro-Peruvian culture to the University.
"Every year, we try to bring a lot of different performances with all types of different music and cover a broad spectrum of genres like dance," said Jennifer Smith, marketing and design manager for the Union. "Peru Negro is very unique as far as what we offer in the series this year and in the past."
During the show, the audience can expect to see aspects of Afro-Peruvian culture such as traditional instruments, songs, dances and storytelling.
"The performance will definitely be a feast for the eyes," Smith said.
In 1969, as a part of the international Black Pride movements, Ronaldo Campos de la Colina founded Peru Negro in an effort to preserve and share Afro-Peruvian culture.
The culture of people of African descent in Peru is not as well known as other countries with large black populations such as Brazil or Cuba.
"I want people to get exposure to the culture of the (African) diaspora that is rarely talked about, which is African culture in Peru," said Paul Baker, program coordinator of the Stone Center. "They are not presenting just one type of talent, but are incorporating many different features of the culture into one performance."
"The audience is going to see fantastic costumes, a number of instruments, music and hear amazing vocals," he said. "This performance will certainly raise the bar of future performances at the University."
Based in Lima, Peru, the original ensemble included 12 family members. It now has grown into a performance company that includes Peru Negro, a junior ensemble Peru Negrito and a school run by company members.
In 2001, the ensemble dedicated its internationally debuted album Sangre de un Don (Heritage of a Gentleman) to Campos de la Colina.
Appointed by their government as ambassadors of Peruvian culture, members of Peru Negro tour internationally, sharing the music and traditions of Afro-Peru.
-Ayofemi Hunter-Kirby
03/02/05 >> go there
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
