The drum resonates of Manuel Rodriguez-Cardenas

Abstract

This review examines Tambor (1938; 2nd ed. 1972) by Manuel Rodríguez-Cárdenas, a landmark of Venezuelan negrista poetry. It situates the first edition (prefaced by Julián Padrón) and the 1972 reissue—with the poet’s moving ten-page presentation—and argues for a new critical edition. The book’s architecture (30 poems across five sections: Socotora, Frente al Cabo Guardafui, Grito Mulato, Banderas, and La gesta de Faustino Parra) is surveyed through themes of Africanity, orality, eros, popular memory, mourning, and resistance. The review maps affective geographies (Africa/Caribbean/Yaracuy), cultural references (Eusebia Cosme, García Lorca, María Lionza), and the social inscription of Afro-Venezuelan identity, quoting passages that showcase the poet’s lyrical and political force. It concludes by advocating intergenerational readership as a safeguard of identity and poetic heritage.