The documentary “They Are We” tells the story of a lost Afro-Cuban community that share nearly the same culture as a remote tribe in Sierra Leone.
Researcher and educator at the University of Sydney, Emma Christopher, was responsible for connecting the two long lost groups.
In the trailer, an Afro-Cuban community in Perico performs some of their traditional songs and dances that have been broadcast across the Atlantic to Sierra Leone. The Gangá-Longobá in Africa recognized the songs and the dances and instantly a connection was struck.
The most remarkable thing they found familiar was the Banta language of the Gangá-Longobá. It suggests that even through the evils of the slavery, the community in perico maintained its African roots.