Bomba was developed by West African slaves and their descendants on sugar plantations in Puerto Rico during the early European colonial period. Despite lacking a shared language due to their varied origins, they found common ground in music.
Bomba ¡Tacos + Tequila! is inspired by the sense of community, excitement and spontaneity of the music and dance of the same name. The musical genre often takes the form of a lively street gathering with dancing, drumming, and crowd engagement that celebrates family and life.
Bomba was brought to Puerto Rico by African slaves in the 16th century, mostly from people belonging to Sudanese and Bantu cultures. Bomba was the African slaves’ method of expressing themselves, and although it originated in Puerto Rico, it echoes across the Caribbean.
It remains one of the most popular forms of folk music on the island and serves as significant evidence of its rich African heritage. This article explores the main components of bomba by making them more accessible to those that have not experienced it from an insider’s perspective.
Bomba is a traditional dance and music genre of Puerto Rico, one of the oldest forms within the island’s Afro–Puerto Rican musical tradition. Bomba unfolds as a call-and-response between a dancer and the lead drummer, in which the dancer leads and the drummer follows.
Bomba dates back to the early European colonial period in Puerto Rico. It comes out of the musical traditions brought by enslaved Africans in the 17th century. To them, bomba music was a source of political and spiritual expression.
Bomba music first emerged in Loíza in the 17th century, when Central and West African slaves arrived on the Spanish-ruled island aboard a British ship.