Pedrito Martinez, consummate master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and the bata drum, returns to the JAS Cafe on February 16-17, 2023. This is a show you don’t want to miss, so grab your tickets now! In the meantime, here’s a little background on the history of the bata drum.
The bata drums and their music have survived for over 500 years, traveling from the land of the Yoruba in Nigeria to Cuba to the United States and beyond. Their story is a testament to the power and depth of the religion and culture of which they are an important part. Despite its long history, awareness of the instrument didn’t spread until the 1800s slave-trade during which almost 300,000 Africans were brought to Cuba. The religion and beliefs the Yoruba brought with them evolved into the religion Santeria. This religion spawned the first bata with ana (sacred bata) Bata in Cuba around 1830. By 1951, there were about 15-25 sets.
Bata drumming is an important part of the Santeria religion, which has made it’s way from Cuba to the US, especially in Miami, New York, L.A. and San Francisco. They have the ability to communicate and are used to speak the Yoruba language through reciting prayers, religious poetry, greeting, announcements, praises for leaders, and even jokes or teasing.
The spiritual force and mystery placed within the drum when it is made sacred is called Ana. A drummer may be initiated into ana through certain religious ritual practiced mostly in Cuba and Nigeria, and receives the spiritual force needed to play the drums correctly.
In recent years, some have started to build and play bata drums that are not sacred. These secular bata drums are called aberinkula and may be used by an uninitiated person. Interest in the bata drums has greatly increased but it is important that the core of the sacred drums’ tradition be respected and preserved and not diluted by the widespread popular interest drawn to its power and mystery.
SOURCES
https://worldmusiccentral.org/2004/07/28/the-bata-drums/
https://naijabiography.com/history-culture/the-history-of-the-ancient-bata-drum/