Candombe drums

Candombe is a rhythm and dance born from the enslaved Africans brought to the Río de la Plata, who kept their traditions alive through drumming. It grew up in the working-class neighbourhoods of Barrio Sur and Palermo in Montevideo.

Its sound comes from three drums played together — the chico, the repique and the piano — each with its own pitch and role, that lock into a rolling, unmistakable pattern. Groups of drummers, called comparsas, warm the skins over open fires before they play.

Every year the Llamadas parades fill the streets with drums, dancers and colour. In 2009 UNESCO recognised candombe as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — a living link to Uruguay's African roots.