Sounds of collective memories: A decolonial counter-representation of Afro-Ecuadorian Marimba Esmeraldeña and Bomba del Chota

In this thesis, I address questions of racialised representations of Afro-Ecuadorian music and dance-based events of Marimba Esmeraldeña and Bomba del Chota in order to build towards the notion and practice of a decolonial counter-representation of such events. The counter-representation that I propose aims to shift the representations of Marimba and Bomba from the current focus on stereotypical and fixed characteristics such as a naturalized happiness and hyper-sexuality, which are reliant on the visual, to an emphasis on the sonic dimension. Through sounds, a questioning of the colonial matrix of power that sustains visual representations and the privileging of key, but usually silenced, collective memories is proposed. The methodology suggested for counter-representational purposes is based on archival research and on a relationship of listening, which refers to a long-term process of mutually understanding the needs and knowledges of both the researcher and the communities. This relationship of listening was developed with a selected group of mature Marimberos and Bomberos from the two Afro-Ecuadorian ancestral territories of north Esmeraldas and Chota-Mira Valley. Marimba and Bomba originated in these territories during the Atlantic slavery period (16th to 19th centuries). Drawing on concepts of collective memories, representation and coloniality, I seek to critically include racialised perceptions of Afro-Ecuadorians and their relation to the Ecuadorian colonial matrix of power. I also prioritize key Marimberos and Bomberos’ collective memories such as their relationship to mythical characters as well as the official censorships of Marimba and the embodied knowledges that have been passed on intergenerationally in Bomba. By developing a counter- representation, I aim to contribute with crucial methodological, theoretical and practical strategies to widen and deepen a much needed and timely understanding of Marimba and Bomba, which signals the possibility of working towards the moves beyond fixed stereotypes rooted in coloniality and thus, of decolonising public performances