In this excerpt, Maestro Andrés describes the meaning of the Congo tradition and several of its major characters.
![](https://digitalportobelo.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2013/10/Yeneka-Congo-Presentation-624x468.jpg)
In this excerpt, Maestro Andrés describes the meaning of the Congo tradition and several of its major characters.
In this excerpt, Maestro Andrés discusses the impact of tourism on the tradition, including the monetization of various aspects and changes in costuming. In describing the current tradition, he references the impact of the “the road” on the town. At this point in the recording, the tape appears to have sped up causing distortion.
In this excerpt, he discusses his favorite childhood memories of the tradition when the town was more isolated and Congo communities visited each other via boat during carnival season.
In this excerpt, Esquina discusses the changes she has seen in the Congo tradition over the course of her lifetime. Specifically, she talks about the ways in which the king’s role has diminished since her father once played it.
In this excerpt, Esquina recounts watching her father, Vicente Esquina, get dressed as the Congo King and accompanying him to the palenque/palacio to play Congo. Memories of her father’s participation as king mark some of Esquina’s earliest recollections of the tradition.