Venezuela Hosts ‘ALBA Drums’ Gathering to Celebrate African Heritage
Caracas, June 26, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) organized a celebration of Afro-descendant culture.
The “ALBA Drums: beats from our identity” gathering took place in Caracas from June 20 to 23. It featured delegations from 14 countries located in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, showcasing a variety of percussion variants from African and Afro-descendant peoples.
“We will march to the rhythm of our own drums,” ALBA Secretary General Jorge Arreaza said in the event’s opening session. “ALBA itself is like a drum, an instrument of rebellion against oppression and injustice.”
Arreaza highlighted the African heritage that is found across the region and called for embracing those cultural traditions as a key element of integration.
The Alba Drums gathering saw delegations offer debate sessions, workshops and concerts in a theater hall and open spaces located in Caracas’ Plaza Bolívar.
Venezuelan sociologist and researcher Beatriz Aiffil argued that the region’s colonial past had left “a legacy of resistance” that unites the peoples. She argued that the conference in Caracas should be a launch point for stronger unity efforts.
The delegations, alongside Venezuelan cultural organizations, likewise staged a march in Caracas on Saturday to celebrate the “Spiritual Revolution Day.” Foreign invitees went on to take part in celebrations dedicated to Saint John the Baptist on Sunday and Monday.
The ALBA alliance was founded in 2004 on the initiative of former Venezuelan and Cuban leaders Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro, respectively. Drawing inspiration from Latin American independence heroes, the organization aims to promote regional solidarity and sovereign development.
All photos by ALBA-TCP.
