Most musical influences in Latin America came from Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Guinea and the Congo. While most ritual music and some instruments (such as batá drums) derived from the lukumí and abakuá rites of the Yoruba, most drums and dance rhythms such as the rumba derived from the Bantu peoples of the Congo and from the Ganga and Arará peoples of West Africa.

Go to the following site:

Brief Cultural History of African Slavery in Cuba
http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/history.htm

Familiarize yourself with these sites. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the importance of the drum in African music?

2. What African regions is Professor Ladzekpo discussing? How do these regions coincide in their view of music and its function in society?

3. Discuss the concepts of polyrhythm and cross-rhythm. How do they differ from the basic tenets of European music in colonial times (1500's to 1800's)?

4. What do the concepts discussed above tell you about the world view and philosophical outlook of West Africans at the time? How were these views adapted and conveyed to the rest of the community by the slaves in their new environment?