The Green Screen

The Rumba has been the way for a particular group to enjoy themselves since many centuries ago. This musical genre has many styles or ways of sounding according to the place it is performed. Among those who practice it, the Rumba is not only music but a party; a gathering for drumming, dancing, and singing. In Cuba "rumbear" or "irse de rumba" means to go clubbing or partying. Rumba is referred to as party in Cuba, and even a Rumba Palace has been built in Varadero, despite the fact that all types of music but rumba are played in this club.

There are references to Rumba from the beginning of the 18th century because it was very popular in the countryside and the suburban areas like the small villages constructed near the sugar mills or factories. It was a type of music common to freed slaves and the descendants of African ethnic groups, such as the Lucumi, the Ganga, the Arara, and the Bantu. Men would dance boxing-like dances that have been attributed to the Congo ethnic group, known as the "peanut dance", which could be considered primitive rumba dancing. Three profane drums or yucca drums were used.

The Caribbean island of Cuba has developed a wide range of creolized musical styles, based on its cultural origins in Europe and Africa. Since the nineteenth century its music has been hugely popular and influential throughout the world. It has been perhaps the most popular form of world music since the introduction of recording technology.

The music of Cuba, including the instruments and the dances, is mostly of European (Spanish) and African origin. Most forms of the present day are creolized fusions and mixtures of these two great sources. Almost nothing remains of the original Indian traditions, except for tobacco, which for the Taino was a ritual drug. Some of the place names are Indian in origin, such as Guanabacoa, and Cuba is a contraction of Cubanacan, meaning a dwelling-place.