The Spirit of Aña

Women & Drums Series

Jul 19, 2014 @ 4:00pm

Afro-Brazilian drum group Batala NYC, screening of the documentary film Sweet Dreams and Q&A with director Rob Fruchtman, dance & shekere lesson by members of the Legacy Circle Women Drummers, screening of film clip from Oya: Something Happened on the Way to West Africa with Bronx filmmaker Seyi Adebanjo.
Screening of the film, Sweet Dreams, followed by percussion workshop led by members of the Legacy Circle Women Drummers and performance by Batala NYC.
The Yoruba people from Nigeria practice the spiritual tradition of Ifá, which is the basis for Cuban Santeria. The religious rituals practiced honoring the divine spirits called orishas. During a ceremony the sacred drums called batá are played. They are a set of three double-headed hourglass-shaped drums which are used to communicate directly with the orishas. They are prepared for religious events and charged with the spirit of the drum called, aña—the orisha that lives within the drums. The largest drum, iya (mother drum) is the leader. The middle drum is called, itotele and it converses with the iya. The smallest, okonkolo, maintains the rhythms. Though traditionally only men played these drums, the spirit of Aña was feminine.
In Cuba, women are not allowed to play these drums once they are consecrated (fundamento), though they can dance to its rhythms. This sexual division of labor in religion or work is common in many societies. Separate duties for men and women doesn’t necessarily imply restriction in participation during sacred ceremonies. Sometimes the division of labor in drumming derives from practical concerns. In cooperative economies, the combined sharing and complementary rules for individuals of different ages and sexes were part of all aspects of life. Today, as we live in societies that have more diverse individual roles, we no longer follow such rigid rules and the boundaries become more fluid. Women can dance and play the drum—the Spirit of Aña made manifest.