"The African roots in Venezuelan music unfold through the "water drums," a peculiar and stunning musical expression of the region of Barlovento. The aquatic chimes of the water drums become the vehicle bringing together the history of two continents (Africa and America), emphasizing that no matter the distance, the roots are strong enough to last through time."
I was lucky to watch it because as it happens, the Brazilian Embassy failed to bring Dos Filhos de Francisco for the Latin American Cultural Week as per their programme. So the museum staff put Tambores de Agua instead and I'm really glad that they did!In a powerful study of the play and history of "water drums" in and around Venezuela and eventually back to Cameroon, this documentary educates the audience as well as its subjects of the importance of such an activity; that it didn't only characterise a generation that depended on rivers before washing machines but generations before and during the slave trade, that it was a way to spend time after chores, a way to call boys to play, a way to make music by playing a river, by beating the body of water as you would a drum. It is a method of music that passed on like you pass on a story, with all the intimacy that ties the first storyteller with the last listener.
Genre: Music Documentary
Writer & Director: Clarissa Duque
Produced by: Andreina Gómez
Critic's Rating: *****
The Baka Forest People
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