the mid-19th Century, Rumba first emerged as a gathering, a dance and music performed by laborers of African descent, mostly dockworkers, in Matanzas, Cuba. A synthesis of African cultural elements, including religious music, the Afro-Cuban Rumba is entirely secular. Rumba was originally performed on everyday objects to avoid the ban on African instruments. A wine barrel was played like a drum, a wooden crate was tapped on with spoons, and the shipyard's hardwood dowels were struck together…
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