The word "conga" describes the music groups in Cuban comparsas and the music they perform. Comparsas are large groups of musicians, singers, and dancers who wear special costumes and follow set dance moves. They perform during street carnivals in cities like Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, and Havana.

The instruments used differ between congas santiagueras and congas habaneras. Congas santiagueras include the corneta china, a musical instrument inspired by the Cantonese suona, which was brought to Oriente in 1915. Their percussion section includes bocúes (similar to African ashiko drums), the quinto (the highest-pitched conga drum), galletas, the pilón, and brakes, which are struck with metal sticks. Congas habaneras do not use the corneta china but instead include trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. Their percussion instruments include redoblantes (side drums), bombos (bass drums), the quinto, the tumbadora (the lowest-pitched conga drum), and metallic idiophones like cowbells, spoons, frying pans, and rims.

Congas and comparsas have a long history dating back to the 19th century. Musical traditions have been passed down through generations. Older comparsas originated from cabildos de nación or other social groups, while later ones, called paseos, came from barrios (neighborhoods). The music of the congas became its own genre in the early 20th century, introduced into Cuban popular music by artists like Eliseo Grenet and Armando Oréfiche and his Havana Cuban Boys. For many years, congas have been part of the music of Cuban ensembles such as conjuntos, big bands, and descarga groups. Their influence can also be seen in modern genres like salsa and songo. The conga drum, also known in Cuba as the tumbadora, got its name from the congas de comparsa.

History

The history of the conga, also called comparsa conga or conga de comparsa, is not well known, and its origins are unclear. In the early 19th century, the word "conga" does not appear in written records, but references to "tumbas" exist. According to Brea and Millet (1993:204), "tumba" refers to the group of drums and percussion instruments used in the conga. The word "tumba" is linked to mamarrachos, which are summer festivals in Santiago de Cuba, as early as 1847 (Pérez I 1988:54). Another word that may mean "tumba" is "tango," which appears in records as early as 1856 (Pérez I 1988:79). However, many 19th-century writers had negative views of Afro-Cuban culture, and little information about tumbas or tangos was recorded.

The word "Congo" was used to describe African slaves brought to Cuba from the Congo region of Africa, which includes parts of modern-day Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. In Spanish grammar, "congo" became a masculine noun or adjective, and its feminine form was created by changing the ending "o" to "a." In Cuba, this Spanish pair was used to describe anything related to these African slaves and their culture. Some scholars believe "conga" may have originally been an adjective, as in the phrase "comparsa conga," and later became a noun when "comparsa" was removed (del Carmen et al. 2005). Others suggest "conga" might come from the words "maconga" (song) or "nkunga" (song, sound) in the language of the Congo (Ortiz 1924:118).

Ortiz (II 1952-5:34) notes that the drum called bokú, used in the conga, is typical of the Congo. Goodman connects the "comparsa conga" to a carnival figure known as "el Rey del Congo" (the "King of the Congo"), which supports a possible link to the Kongo ethnic group (Pérez I 1988:104). The word "bokú" also means "drum" in Kikongo (Orovio 1981:58).

After Cuba became a republic in 1902, many mayors of Santiago de Cuba issued rules banning "African drums and tangos" (Pérez I 1988:177, etc.). These rules were not always followed.

At the time, many people who wrote about the conga were from the upper class and had negative opinions about it, while the conga was associated with Afro-Cuban workers who were often not well-educated. One notable critic was Desiderio Alberto Arnaz II, the father of American TV star Desi Arnaz, who wrote an article in 1925 expressing views shared by some upper-class Cubans.

A 1936 survey about the conga collected the following comments:

Conga of Los Hoyos

Conga Santiaguera (also called Conga Oriental) happens in Santiago de Cuba, a city in the eastern part of Cuba, known as El Oriente. Santiago de Cuba is both a province and a city in eastern Cuba. It was once the capital of Cuba and is known for its rich culture and long history. Within the province, there is a neighborhood called Los Hoyos.

Los Hoyos is a district in the center of Santiago de Cuba and is home to the conga of Los Hoyos. This neighborhood is one of the oldest Afro-Cuban areas in Santiago and is famous for its conga. It is also where the unofficial start of the carnival begins with an event called the invasión. Geographically, Los Hoyos is near Moncada Barracks, a landmark where Fidel Castro led an attack on July 26, 1953, which began the Cuban Revolution. Historians say the attack was planned to happen during the carnival because the busy streets could help hide the young revolutionaries. The Conga Santiaguera brings together the diverse cultural roots of Santiago de Cuba, including strong Afro-Cuban and Chinese influences that shaped its music, culture, and instruments, as seen in groups like Conga de Los Hoyos.

The history of the conga has many interpretations. A conga is a group of people from neighborhoods who come together to march in the streets with rhythmic music. This activity uses instruments unique to the region and has a rhythm so distinct that people can hear the conga from many streets away. Until the 1920s, there were two carnival celebrations in eastern Cuba: one before Lent, called Carnaval de los Balancos (Carnaval for Whites), and another in the summer, called el Carnaval de los Negros (Carnaval for Black) (Luis 2001, 51).

The history of the Conga Santiaguera goes back to the 1700s, when enslaved people and their groups, called cabildos, were allowed to celebrate their culture after the sugar harvest. These celebrations often coincided with days honoring Catholic saints, such as Santa Cristina (July 24), Santiago Apostle (July 25), and Santa Ana (July 26). Today, Santiago’s carnival still happens during these days and marks the end of the sugar harvest. It also commemorates Fidel Castro’s attack on Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953, adding more historical meaning to the conga.

The carnival in Santiago unofficially begins around July 17 and ends on July 26. The unofficial start happens with a five-hour parade through the city, called la invasión, led by the Conga de Los Hoyos. During this event, the conga marches through the streets and visits other neighborhoods where famous congas are located. This "invasion" honors the Army of Liberation’s arrival at the end of the War of Independence. Los Hoyos also marks the end of the traditional parades of Santiago’s carnival (del Carmen et al. 2005). After the invasion, the carnival continues with music, games, food vendors, bars, and food halls, creating a community event that draws many Cubans from across the country.

Different conga groups from neighborhoods parade through the streets in their corridos (marches), which often include a visita (visit) to another neighborhood to share their music and group. Corridos usually begin in June, when groups are practicing. Around July 21, other carnival groups, like paseos and comparsas, begin their parades in front of judges. These parades take place on Avenida Garzón, a central avenue divided into sections for judges and spectators. Today’s carnival ends on July 24–26, when groups perform special presentations.

There are three types of groups in Santiago’s carnival: paseos, comparsas, and congas. Paseos usually represent city institutions, like the Ministry of Culture or the textile workers’ union. They include a float with dancers, mostly women, who perform to recorded music for judges and spectators. The dancers wear cabaret-style costumes, and the floats are decorated with bright lights and decorations. Comparsas are large groups of choreographed performers in costumes who parade on Avenida Garzón. Congas are different because they begin in the streets, not at a specific location like paseos or comparsas. They are not tied to religious, government, or ethnic groups but are instead connected to neighborhoods. A conga must include regular citizens who dance in the streets, not just musicians, which would make it a comparsa.

At first, the conga group used instruments like a pilón, bocúes, a cowbell, and a güiro. Later, two redoblantes were added, and more bocúes were used. The cowbell and güiro were replaced by frying pans. Eventually, frying pans were replaced by campanas (automobile brake drums or other metal pieces chosen for their unique sounds). Later, the quinto and requinto were added. Los Hoyos first used a corneta china in 1916, one year after the instrument was introduced by the conga Los Colombianos from Tívoli (del Carmen et al. 2005).

Instrumentation

Walter Goodman (1838–1912), an Englishman who lived in Santiago de Cuba from 1864 to 1869, wrote what may be the earliest known description of the conga instruments: “an odd orchestra composed of drums, frying pans, tin utensils, graters, and güiros” (Pérez I 1988:102).

Today, conga instruments are divided into four main categories. First are the campanas (Brea and Millet 1993:181), which are metal instruments struck with metal beaters. Older brake drums from American cars made before the 1950s are often used. Before brake drums were available, frying pans were used (Pérez I 1988:310, Pérez II 1988:23, etc.), and possibly plow blades as well (Pérez I 1988:106 and 134).

The second category is the bocuses (singular: bocú; plural: bocúes), also called fondos (“bottoms”). Modern bocuses are usually attached to the drum using a metal system similar to that of a commercial conga drum. Between four and 16 bocuses are used in one conga (Brea and Millet 1993:179). Bocuses play simple, interlocking parts with few changes. A smaller bocú, called a quinto or bocusito, plays complex off-beat patterns and improvisations. Ortiz noted that the bocú was adopted by the conga after African drums were banned in the early years of the Republic.

The third category includes the bimembranophone tambores (Brea and Millet 1993:200), first mentioned in documents as early as 1916 (Pérez I 1988:217). There are three types of tambores: one requinto and two galletas. The requinto (Brea and Millet 1993:198), first written about in 1931 (Pérez II 1988:9), is shaped like a snare drum, about 50% wider than it is tall. It is worn on the left shoulder, slightly tilted to the left, and played with a stick on the right-hand skin while the left hand mutes or opens the left-hand skin. Its part is simple with few variations. The galletas (also called congas—Orovio 1981:186) are flat, like bass drums. Both galletas are played with sticks, similar to the requinto, but hung so their skins are nearly horizontal to the ground. The higher-pitched galleta is called a redoblante (Brea and Millet 1993:197), measuring about 2 feet in diameter and 5 inches high. It has many variations called floreos. The lower-pitched galleta is called a pilón (Brea and Millet 1993:196) or pilonera (Ortíz II 1952–5:242). It is about 2 inches larger in each dimension than the redoblante. The pilón plays a basic pattern with few variations. All three drums use a metal system to attach the skins to the drum shells. Ortiz stated that the tambores were not originally used in pre-Republican congas. “One is soon aware that these congas [galletas], like the drums of the comparsa carabalí, are ‘white’ imitations of drums whose African shape has been hidden” (Ortíz II 1952–5:242).

The final category includes only one item: the trompetica china or corneta china (literally “Chinese trumpet/bugle”). This double-reed instrument, called suona in Chinese, was brought to Havana in the 19th century by Chinese immigrants. It was used in Chinese theaters in Havana’s Chinatown to play traditional Chinese music until an Afro-Cuban comparsa named “Los Chinos Buenos” adapted it to replace the inspirador (“lead singer”). The trompetica china’s loud, nasal sound allowed the entire comparsa and its followers to hear it during street performances, even when the inspirador was not near. In 1910, the trompetica china was brought to Santiago de Cuba by Cuban soldiers (Ortíz II 1952–5:451). The first conga to use it was Paso Franco in 1915 (del Carmen et al. 2005). By 1924, it was a common feature of the conga (Pérez I 1988:310). Today, the trompetica china is recognized by Cubans as a symbol of the carnavales of Oriente.

Dance

The conga dance uses small sliding steps, with the feet moving forward and backward in turn. If the right foot begins on the first eighth note of the first measure, the left foot steps on the third eighth note of the first measure. Then, the right foot moves again on the first eighth note of the second measure, and the left foot steps on the third eighth note of the second measure. This pattern continues repeatedly. This basic movement is called the "arrollao." The arms are bent at the elbow and move in the opposite direction to the rhythm of the feet (Fernández 1974:91).

There are many different ways to change the basic step, as well as simple movements such as "kick," "single turn," "cutting sugar cane," "shining shoes," and others.

A common change to this pattern is to remove the tie.

Selected discography

• Carnival in Santiago de Cuba; Le Chant du Monde LDX-A-4250
• Carnival in Cuba; Folkways Records FW04065 (1981) – this recording includes examples of various carnival music styles, such as conga music.
• Santiago: Calles y Congas; Egrem C557 (1996)