Obini Batá: Women of the Drums

Twenty-five years ago a group of dancers formed Obini Batá and challenged the tradition of all-male drummers by becoming the first women to perform with the Batá drums in Cuba. Obini (the Yoruba word for Women) thus shaped the history of one of Cuba’s most influential instruments, but there were many who thought women playing the drum was scandalous, and it became a struggle to gain wider acceptance. The multigenerational group ranges from Eva Despaigne, la Maestra and last of the founding members, to younger women from diverse professional and artistic backgrounds. In moments of rest taken from intense practice, Eva outlines the history of the group and provides an introduction to the Batá drums: Iyá, Itótele, and Kónkolo. Eva maintains a long view that Obini Batá must preserve two goals: First, a creative nucleus that can train new artists and secondly, a platform that defends the rights of women in society, in art and in the drum. (Pan African Film Festival)