Babaloo - Drum
Long ago, in the heart of the Yoruba kingdom, lived an named Babalú-Ayé . He was the spirit of the Earth, a complex figure who governed both the terror of disease and the miracle of healing.
To the average American viewer at the time, it was a catchy, exotic nightclub act. They saw a handsome man in a tuxedo shouting a primitive-sounding cry. But for Arnaz, a Cuban exile who had left his home following a revolution, the drum was a way to reclaim his identity. When he beat the drum and chanted the name of the Orisha on national television, he was performing a ritual of healing and memory, connecting his new life in Hollywood back to the sacred groves of his ancestors. The Legacy Babaloo Drum
The story of the is a sweeping journey that begins in the sacred groves of West Africa, travels across the ocean to the nightclubs of Havana, and eventually lands in the living rooms of millions through American television. It is a tale of a deity, a rhythm, and a man who brought them together. The Sacred Origins: Babalú-Ayé Long ago, in the heart of the Yoruba