Woman Batuca, born in Lanzarote, is the only all-female batucada in the Canary Islands. It’s still thriving and expanding its horizons on other islands
One fine day in 2007, a group of Carnival-loving women decided to create a batucada drumming group. They called it ‘Woman Batuca’ and it is now in its fifteenth year as the only all-female group in the Canary Islands. Carmen Rosa Machín, founder and standard bearer, says, ‘there have always been between twenty and twenty-two members, but not always the same ones,’ and points out, ‘Recruitment is essential to ensure our present and our future.’ When asked what you need to join, the answer was, ‘enthusiasm and a bit of physical strength.’
Over the years, they’ve given more than two hundred and fifty performances, ‘Especially in Lanzarote. At Carnival in all the municipalities, in hotels, local festivals, tourist events, private parties and at big events such as Ironman.’
2015 was a year to remember for Woman Batuca; ‘It was very special, as we got to open Arrecife Carnival, which was a great honour for us, and we also won prizes for best choreography and staging.’
But they haven’t always stuck to performing on Lanzarote. ‘We’ve participated in more than a dozen competitions, such as the Pilar Regional Batucadas Festival in Gran Canaria in 2012 and 2022, Fuerteventura’s Encuentro Regional de Batucadas, and five consecutive years at the Festival Batucadas in La Palma. We’ll be heading back there in September this year and again in 2024 as we’re lined up for the Perfusion festival.’
‘By the way,’ adds Carmen Rosa, ‘we met singer, Carlinhos Brown, and he absolutely loved us!’
