Linking Bullerengue’s history, present context, and her own life experiences, this workshop is hosted by the daughter of the renowned cantadora Ceferina Bánquez and heiress of her family tradition, Guadalupe Miranda. She is accompanied musically by the son of legendary contadora Petrona Martínez, the tambolero (drummer) Álvaro Llerena, as well as by cultural articulator Diego Garnica. Miranda shares how different aspects of this practice, deeply rooted in Afro-Colombian embodied memory and processes of cultural resistance, have supported and nourished her community, also drawing upon her own artistic and personal trajectory involving displacement and migration. Combining storytelling, artistic expression, and collective participation, the session foregrounds the role and importance of women in oral tradition, intergenerational transmission of knowledge, preservation of collective memory, and the strengthening of community bonds—despite the impact of violence on Afro-descendant communities in Colombia over decades. 

The workshop is co-facilitated by drummer and pedagogue Valeria Pacific, co-director of Bullerengue Circle, which has been key to the growth of a European Bullerengue community. The session starts with a warmup, after which participants are invited to take an active role through choral singing, handclapping, call-and-response dynamics—fundamental elements of the communal practice of Bullerengue. The workshop concludes with a shared practice of the Rueda, the circular open format in which Bullerengue unfolds, highlighting its inclusive nature and its capacity to facilitate embodied remembrance and collective resistance. Participants are warmly invited to bring their own drums or maracas and join in by playing if desired. 

Embodied Histories: Commoning to Remember, Invigorate, and Celebrate Life takes place in the frame of the ongoing programme Politics of Rhythm, which stimulates dance and music practices—such as Bullerengue—to cultivate communitarian knowledge. Open to all ages, this relaxed environment centres learning by doing. Simple language is used, which might contain brief, non-graphic mentions of violence. The session includes a break, while bean bags and chairs are provided. The room has an even floor and is accessible for wheelchair users.  

In, around, and associated with HKW there is no space for, nor tolerance towards, hate speech or hate actions of any kind. HKW welcomes anyone interested in taking part in the emancipatory practice of Bullerengue, particularly those undertaking anti-racist, intersectional, feminist, queer activism.