Bomba was created by enslaved Africans, mainly from Sudanese and Bantu cultures (A guide to bomba in Puerto Rico., 2024); they were forced to the island of Puerto Rico by Spaniards in the 1500s (Abdul-Hakim, Corujo, Carrion, & Perez, 2021.). Osiris Santiago, a Bomba dancer, told ABC News, “Bomba is what our black ancestors from the island created to express themselves (Abdul-Hakim, Corujo, Carrion, & Perez, 2021.).” Bomba evolved into a coping mechanism for enslaved workers; it was used to express resistance to oppression and as a form of cultural expression (Abdul-Hakim, Corujo, Carrion, & Perez, 2021.). Although it originated in Puerto Rico, its methods of rebellious expression spread throughout the Caribbean (A guide to bomba in Puerto Rico., 2024). Bomba is still used as a sign of rebellion today; during the Black Lives Matter protests, bomba was used to rebel against systematic oppression and racism on both the mainland and the island (A guide to bomba in Puerto Rico., 2024). When Puerto Ricans responded to the genocide in Gaza, they played “barrels of Puerto Rican bomba music (Puerto Rico: Hundreds demonstrate for peace in Palestine and Lebanon., 2024),” better known as “Barril de Bomba,” a drum used in the Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition (Barril de bomba., 2024). With bomba having a rich historical context within the island and being actively used as an artistic form of rebellion, one would find great potential in this monumental garment.
