How I discovered Tango’s African roots while learning of my own culture’s part in it
Helena here to share a mind-blowing tidbit I learned. I’m privileged to have the opportunity to pop in from time to time since I began working with The Afro News (TAN) and publisher Honore Gbedze 12 years ago!
This is exactly where I began writing publicly to re-establish myself when I moved to Vancouver, just like many of our readers who came from other places.
“Do they know you are white?” asked my older sister in Toronto when I called to tell her about my new column. Well, my photo was atop the monthly Communication Culture column I wrote. My mission was to encourage readers, both local and newly arrived to bring who they are and all they came from – to be seen, heard and even hired in our new shared culture. I think I was safe.
As for her concern about taking a job from someone who ‘should’ maybe be there? I volunteered all those columns – whole heartedly.
My reward was to share my own life lessons as skills and to support others. Bonus: a chance to learn about my new city and one of its growing cultures – one column and story at a time.
Full Circle
So, now I have come full circle in the dance as I uncovered yet another significant aspect of human culture that we must honour Africa for and here’s how it happened.
I’m currently the publicist for ¡Festival Judío!: A Celebration of Latin American Jewish Culture. It takes place at the Peretz Centre for Jewish Culture, on Ash Street just behind Oakridge Mall, in August 2019.
On Saturday, August 3, the program opens with a Milonga – a Tango concert and dance. Internationally known, composer and master bandoneon player (a kind of concertina), Amijai Shalev, is in from his home in Buenos Aires. He leads a lively mix of concert and dance music, with classic and new compositions played by the group of five.
Amijai is also giving an afternoon lecture at 4:30 on August 5 on Tango’s history called – Tango: The Jewish Connection. “Jewish musicians and songwriters were very involved in the creative process of tango. The style of the violín tanguero is that of a Jewish violin arriving in Rio de la Plata (Argentina and Uruguay).” He’ll examine the habanera rhythm and trace the Eastern European origins of the bandoneon, a concertina that is a fixture in tango music. His talk also reaches to Klezmer which we’ll have a full night of on the 8th of August, so it’s a nice warm up.
Now, can you guess who else ‘arrived’ in the Rio de la Plata region?
I will bet that you did.
The Transatlantic slave trade of the 16-19th centuries, saw many Africans uprooted from their homes. More than 2/3 came from the Eastern and Equatorial parts of Africa and were transported, not of their choosing to the Rio Plato area of Argentina. They brought with them Candombe, a fusion of dance and music traditions that survived from their lands of origin. Tango was a drum’s name. Milonga one of their words. The precursors to tango’s evolving state.
Imagine my surprise! My research into Tango for work reasons led me to find my East European Jewish heritage connected to one of the world’s smoothest, sensual dance legacies. Then an even more impressive connection to Africa.
Tango is so incredibly beautiful and complex a subject that Amijai’s talk will focus on one aspect of cultural integration. For me, and for other attending the talk, and reading this, I hope it will be a portal to learn more. Documentaries bringing the major Afric contributions to just this one topic of Tango. (2 links are listed below)
I hope you will attend some of the August 2-9, Festival Judio (HooDEE’o) and join the celebration of the talents, life experience and memories of the countries of origin by established and recent Latin American Jewish immigrants.
Tickets are economical as empanadas for five nightly films, five talks from tango to healing from intergenerational trauma, and one children’s story writing workshop! There’s an art show, book sale, food and a BIG Tango music night on August 3 and on Thursday, August 8 an 11-piece band with drums, sax, vocals and more of Klezmer fused with the rhythms of Brazil like samba, afoxe, baiao, frevo and maracatu – Afro and indigenous beats led by Mauro Perelmann, direct from Rio de Janeiro.
We are all, in Canada, from somewhere else. Wherever ‘we’ went we brought our culture to survive and then to share, and we borrowed from others as we settled in to thrive as best we could.
Check out the event and get tickets at Eventbrite.ca
Tango Night Milonga Concert and Dance is $20/ $15 for students and seniors. It begins at 7-8 pm with a free dance lesson to warm up or refresh your moves. Food and refreshments on site.
Admission to any lecture of film is: $7/$5 students, seniors
I’ll hold a spot on the dance floor or in a chair for you!
You might enjoy these peaks into Afro roots of Tango:
Brief History of the Black Roots of Argentine Tango
By: Helena Kaufman
