La Tumba Francesa

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|Body=Tumba Francesa was a style of dance, song, and drumming brought to Cuba by Haitian slaves who were resettled there following the unrest in Haiti, and it came from a fusion of music from Dahomey in West Africa, and traditional French dances, originating in the 18th-century. It embodies one of the oldest and most tangible links to Cuba's Oriente province and its Afro-Haitian heritage. Tumba Francesa societies emerged in several towns and cities following Cuba's abolition of slavery in 1886 and the migration of former slaves to urban areas in search of work.
Tumba Francesa performances typically start with a solo by a member of the composition. The composer will cue the rhythm with a pulsing beat, and the catá will burst into a musical beat enhanced by three drums called tumbas. These hand-played drums are carved and painted and are crafted from a single piece of hollowed wood. The dance is conducted by the Mayor de Plaza. Most chorus singers and dancers are women, who wear long colonial-era dresses with colorful scarves and wear West African kerchiefs. They keep rhythm with metal rattles or chachás. A 30-minute song and dance performance usually lasts late into the night.
There are only two of the many dance styles from Tumba Francesa that are still regularly performed: masón, a light parody of French ballroom dances, and yubá, an improvised dance accompanied by rousing drum rhythms. 

This genre of dance emerged in the early 19th century in Oriente, Cuba. It was originally introduced by slaves from the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which later became the nation of Haiti. Slaves were resettled there after the slave rebellion in the 1790s. Tumba francesa societies are known to have flourished during the late 19th century.
Tumba francesa is danced to drums rather than string or woodwind instruments. The clothing of the dancers is colorful and flamboyant, and the dance includes straight-backed and held-torso figures, followed by African improvisation.
In many ways, their establishment was similar to the African cabildos. Performers refer to tumba francesa as French-Haitian, and acknowledge that it's a product of Haiti that now resides in Cuba. It continued to be performed in eastern Cuba in the second half of the 20th century.
There are also other touches, however. In Santiago de Cuba, La Caridad de Oriente (originally La Fayette), Bejuco in Sagua de Tánamo, Holgu*n, and Saint Catherine de Riccis (originally La Pompadour) in Guantánamo.


===References===
 
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/la-tumba-francesa-00052)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumba_francesa)
|Subject=Art, dance, Entertainment and Recreation, Music
|Country=Cuba
}}