How Africans In Colombia Used Their Hair To Find Freedom
By: Eduardo Valencia
Cumbia, the most famous rhythm in Afro-colombian music is a popular genre based on a rhythm that was birthed through two drums and a pair of maracas. According to Afro Colombian percussionist, Eduardo Martinez, “Cumbia belongs to the entire Caribbean coast of Colombia. The rhythm is from Africa and the word cumbia refers to a central African word, cumbe. Scholars believe the rhythm was born in the city of Cartagena and from there it moved into other Afro Indigenous communities in the Montes de Maria and the African Palenques.” The specific origin of this rhythm is still disputed but the town of San Basilio de Palenque, a city founded in the 16th century by Benkos Bioho and a small group of runaway slaves, is where the rhythm of Cumbia was further defined. In 1691 the Spanish crown issued a decree officially freeing the Africans in San Basilio de Palenque, making them the first free Africans in the Americas and the community remains strong to this day.
I discovered this myself In 2013 when I visited San Basilio for their annual Festival of the Drum; I stayed for three days with the Salgado family. This family lineage is full of incredible drummers and singers, including Graciela Salgado and Paulino Batata Salgado. The festival is dedicated to Palenquero culture and includes several workshops on drumming, dancing and history. While there I was told a story; some African communities in Colombia would braid hair into maps that lead to a town called Palenque, which I was able to tour thanks to a local. As I was discovering the land, I heard music coming from a house and my guide noticed my interest so she asked if I wanted to check it out. I was like se puede? Claro! We entered the home, walked to the back yard and I see Rafael Cassiani Cassiani, singer for Sexteto Tabala sitting down enjoying the music. There were about 10 young palenqueros making music; half of them were playing several folkloric instruments. Tamboras, tambor alegre, llamador, maracas y marimbula. While the other half were taking turns rapping over the music. It was fresh. It was powerful. Yet, I had no idea who they were. That evening I watched them perform their music, wearing dashikis, sportin afros, rocking wax prints. It was fucking fresh. Their name is Kombilesa Mi, the word is from the unique Palenquero language known as Kikongo. A mix of Bantu and Spanish, spoken nowhere else on the planet. The name means ‘my friends.’
Now, in 2020 the group is strong and recently dropped a music video for their song, Los Peinados (hairstyles). The song starts with singer Andris Padilla Julio aka Afroneto saying ama tu pelo como a tu madre (love your hair like your mother). The hook says Los Peinados son una forma de expresion que ayudaron durante la esclavizacion, dibujaron el camino perfecto que han llebado los negros a la liberacion. This roughly translates to “hairstyles helped us during slavery because with them we drew the perfect map for a black person to find liberation.” The video simply rotates members of the group, each sportin unique hairstyles as they take turns reciting verses. In their lyricism they reject the European beauty standards surrounding ‘good hair’ while they acknowledge and celebrate the legacy of their Palenque and the importance of their hair when it comes to the founding of their town. The song is from their album, Esa Palenkera. I highly recommend this record. The mix of folkloric instruments and rhythms with lyricist rapping in Spanish and Kikongo is a sound completely original and one of the freshest sounds that Hip Hop has inspired. Kombilesa Mi calls their music Rap Folclorico, Pero Palenquero (folkloric rap but from Palenque).
