Honoring Our African Ancestors at Van Cortlandt Park

Master Batá Drummer Anthony Carrillo, Awo Juan Usera, and Awo Xavier Rivera will play the sacred Batá drums and dedicate an Oro for Égun ceremony to the ancestors who are buried in the Enslaved African & Kingsbridge Burial Ground in Van Cortlandt Park. Egún is the Yoruba word for ancestors and it refers to the collective spirit of all ancestors, emphasizing the interconnectedness between the ancestors and their living descendants.

Following the Égun ceremony, we will continue to honor and celebrate the ancestors with a Bombazo led by Juan Usera and the Sambuco Tribe with interactive drumming and dancing. Featured music in the Bombazo is Bomba, the most representative music and dance form of all African-derived cultural expressions in Puerto Rican folklore and one of the oldest Black cultural practices with connections to other Caribbean nations. Bomba also connects Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican heritage to our ancestors and it is played to celebrate our departed.

This event is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

RSVP encouraged but not required.

Event Location: Enslaved African Burial Ground

Behind the Tennis Courts

Parking is available in the Van Cortlandt Golf Lot

(No driving inside the park, please)