Heritage, Culture, Folklore are three things in common. What happens when you have a freshman student show up to a field visit not knowing anything about his background and learns something new ? I will tell you , it is easy to learn but hard to follow. The site visits I have been to so far have to do with my culture and people which shows me that someone is committed to teaching my about something I should have learned before. I guess the main point I am trying to make is that as humans we should know about who we are and where we come from. We should also know about our heritage so that we could pass it down to the future students and children of the world. Some of the best world leaders are in tune with their culture because they say the past repeats itself or or does it ? I also think building a foundation is the start to something good and effective.
Comite Noviembre is an organization that is geared to making sure that puerto Rican students are aware and educated about their culture so they could push other students to understand who they are. Comite Noviembre preserves rich culture through politicians, educators and the alike. Comite Noviembre educated its youth through development of programs, grants for school leadership development in order for them to continue on to some form of higher education so that they can give back to the community. The Comite Noviembre has given over $201,000 in scholarships since it was created fourteen years ago, through the scholarships at least 90% of recipients go on to graduate from college. the recipients all are clear about their characters as educated intellectual students. The Comite Noviembre scholarship awards its students during the puerto rican heritage celebrations.
The Comite Noviembre event I went to was about culture and community. It was about educating people of the public about the history of Bomba and Plena. It was about showcasing famous art piece and art symbols. It was about showcasing poets of the culture or those who write about the culture.
Bomba is a traditional form of music which is usually performed in many puerto rican families by groups of people. It is a mix of three main cultures, which are Spanish, African, and Taino. Bomba music is made mostly of drum’s called Barriles which drives from big barrels that are played with lamb skin to make a loud but rhythm filled flow. Other instruments include the Cua which is an open barrel which is hit with drum sticks and a maraca which can be different depending on size and sound. Although those are the main instruments there are various others that can be used. Bomba is more compared to salsa music, which in itself. Salsa is more Cuban and urban. Plena is made up of these little hand drums caled Pleneras. Plena also includes cuatro , maracas and accordions but what truly separates the two are the dances. Plena is like salsa music you play to a rhythm while people dance. Bomba is different because in Bomba the dancer controls the drummer and the rhythm reflects various movies and dancer technique. But if you don't listen to Bomba or Plena on your free time you would not know what they are because for a long time Bomba and Plena have been suppressed and oppressed from mainstream production.
Plena and Bomba when they first were created were used to show a resistance to the government. The people puerto Rico at the time called it the community newspaper because it when played had hidden messages. When protests and demonstrations broke out Plena would be played and the crowd would get behind the group as a form of support and to show a resistance to injustice. Bomba itself is a creation of sugar cane slaves. The sugar cane slaves created Bomba so that they could communicate with each other. A Lot of them came from place like Africa where they were enslaved for money and such purposes. Just like hip hop in our modern society Bomba was an escape , a cure and a voice of the oppressed not a way to dwell on sad times.
In closing I think that committee Noviembre mission fits the work they are doing and the events they are doing. committee Noviembre is accomplishing what they set out to do. I thought the event was great until I realized that I had my bike stolen from outside the school. No one at Hostos or the police dept would help me until I started to pursue it and pressure them.
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