Stylistic origins Zouk, Bissau Guinean music Cultural origins Late 1980s, Guinea-Bissau | ||
Gumbe, also goombay or gumbay, is a West African style of music found in countries such as Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau.
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Etymology
It is likely that the etymology of African-American musical genres goombay of the Bahamas originates in Guinea-Bissau gumbe. Gombey music from Bermuda and the Jamaican square maroon drum called goombay could also be related.
Origins
Gumbe is a specific genre, mostly influenced by the fast tempo zouk style called "zouk béton" (music of the French Caribbean popularized by Kassav in the 1980s); though the same term also refers to any music of the country. True gumbe is a fusion of several Bissau Guinean folk traditions. Gumbe is the genre most closely associated with Bissau Guinean music worldwide.
Gumbe is a primarily vocal and percussive music that has been associated with nationalist thought since colonial times.