Editing Conga line (section)

==Origin==
The conga dance was believed to have been brought over from Africa by enslaved people in the West Indies,<ref name="watson" /> and became a popular street dance in Cuba. The style was appropriated by politicians during the early years of republic in an attempt to appeal to the masses before election. During [[Gerardo Machado]]'s dictatorship in Cuba, [[Havana]] citizens were forbidden to dance the conga since rival groups would work themselves to high excitement and start street fights. This was not the case when [[Fulgencio Batista]] became president in the 1940s - he permitted people to dance congas during elections, but a police permit was required.<ref name="orovio">Orovio, Helio. ''Cuban music from A to Z''. Durham: Duke University Press, 2004. 57.</ref>