to share secret messages. certain moves or beats became codes and could be a protest or even a shout-out that they were plans to do something like open up a can of whoop ass and rebel. now when the colonizers finally got a clue about subversive messages buried in the beats, the ongoing battle to silence movements of independence began and have continued into modern times. - it was gag laws. - it is, yeah. - implemented, like, in the 50s. - in the 50 1950s? - yeah, yeah. - that late. - not that long ago. - yeah, yeah. - to break it up. - police would come, arrest people, you know. it it wasn t permitted. - yep. - bomba represents that resistance to oppression by governments or other countries as well. - the families just held onto it to it. - so they they kept it together. and they kept the bomba going, but in private spaces and family spaces. - right, right, right. in secret. puerto ricans have been fighting colonialism for five centuries. the u.s. took the reins from spain in 18
to one of the most important pre-columbian archaeological sites in the world, the caguana ceremonial grounds, a sacred place for the taíno people who thrived here until the 15th century before colonizers like columbus arrived on the island and changed the course of history. some archaeologists argue that the taíno bloodline no longer exists. i believed that too and even mentioned it in my show latin history for morons. so columbus enslaves all the taínos until he exterminate them. and that, my lovely morons, is called the caribbean holocaust. and that is the end of the taínos and their time on earth. [percussive music] but here s the thing - after my show, i got a letter from a woman who said, hold on a minute. she s taíno and very much alive. so i met with some members of her tribe to educate myself.
- wait, well, first, let me go way back. i m gonna go way back, okay? - yeah. please do. - my parents came here. - i love origin stories. - in 1962, 15 years old, both of them, with. have you heard of it? - yes, of course. yeah, yeah, yeah. - most people don t know the history of pedro pan. so during 1960 to 1962, 14,000-plus cuban children came to miami. - right, right. - and they were gonna be held until america got castro out of power. - yeah. - that didn t work out. now it s too many people in miami. - got you, got you, got you. - so we ended up in portland, oregon. - and then you get to hollywouldn t. and what happens? - well, first, i went to england and i went to graduate school, and i studied playwriting and performance. - yeah, yeah, yeah. - so i came back like, let s do this, hollywood. but they were really not buying what i was selling at all. - and they want you to be what? - maid. maybe a prostitute. - how do you get out of that? how do you have the strength and the wher
- our parents experienced poverty or our grandparents experienced poverty. - yeah. - and and it gets trickled down through the memories, through storytelling, a nostalgia for what they went through. - yeah, man. - so that s why funche for you reminds you of your parents struggle. - yeah, yeah. - yeah. - yeah. - so it s good food. - yes. - yeah, yeah. - and simple is difficult. - yes. - really. it s really difficult. - right. right. it s more work. it s it s definitely more work when you don t have gas and you got to do it all by wood fire. - and let me tell you this, this is the dish that you just make. - yes. yes. - yes. - this is the swordfish with the batata leaf, and confit tomatoes, and brown butter. and this is carne frita, which is a smoke pork. and then, we did fry it in the wood fire oven with a bunch of onions and local peppers. this is probably one of the first dishes that we ever put in the menu. - yeah, yeah. yo, i don t know if the camera is doing this food justice, be
- now let me tell you, the spirit and beauty of ponce and its people is something i have long admired from afar. but being smack in the middle of it is a whole other thing. this community, like all others in puerto rico, is proud of who it is. the people persist. they thrive. and more importantly, they stay true to themselves. - [singing in spanish] [cheers and applause] - that was great. i almost had a heart attack. but it was worth it. gracias a todos ustedes. gracias. i can t wait to come back and see this city rebuilt to its old glory. the people of ponce deserve it. thank you. gracias, reina. [all shouting in spanish]