¡CUMBIA!

Today, Colombia celebrates the National Cumbia Day, February 2 Is Day of the Virgin of Candelaria, because historically many towns on the Magdalena River celebrated it with candles and cumbia for being the virgin of the blessed candle.  as an initiative to highlight this musical rhythm. I take this opportunity to tell you why this folklore is so important not only in Colombia but in Latin America.

 

I write this text with much love because I believe that the best thing that Colombia has given to humanity is its music, I love bambuco, vallenato, but cumbia transcended borders and today occupies a special throne in Latin America. That is why I will tell you part of its history, very well narrated in the documentary Pasos de Cumbia. 

https://youtu.be/PrAizZQVfaU 

Cumbia was born 500 years ago in this northern corner of South America, before the continent had the boundaries and names it has today. It is often said that it was born in El Banco,  a town along the Magdalena River. Regardless of the exact spot, it was not by chance that this music was born in the Colombian Caribbean coast; for this was the key point where two peoples oppressed by the colonizers met: the indigenous people and the Africans; both enslaved by the colonizers.

History tells that the masters, besides exploiting their slaves, also used to use them as entertainment, forcing them to dance and play music for them. It is there where these two symbolic languages meet: the African drum and the indigenous flute; and from that moment a rhythm was originated that would identify a whole continent whose people were marked for centuries by colonial oppression.

In the cumbia the drum sounds with impetuous blows of great Africans torn from their land, together with the serene winds of flutes and indigenius bagpipes that seem to enclose in their wood the very essence of jungles and mountains. Thus was born a way to communicate in code, and to be able to express displeasure.without their masters knowing. In addition, it is said that the origin of the basic cumbia step with one foot dragging was when the slaves had to dance chained with shackles on one of their feet.

In the lyrics of famous cumbias, one hears stories of blacks lamenting nostalgically in front of the sea, fishing, selling fruits, dancing cumbia by the light of the moon or a pack of candles, or celebrating because at least that was the only expression of the soul that was not forbidden to them. I recommend listening to, Danza negra, Prende la vela, el pescador, la Zenaida, Chambacú, among other cumbias of legendary composers, although with time the dancers, It is normal for any Colombian to have seen presentations of cumbias like this in the cultural acts of schools and patriotic days.  And with all that said, you know why it is part of the general culture of Colombia.

Although over time, the dances and lyrics changed, cumbia was adding new instruments and rhythmic changes as it conquered more territories and followers outside Colombia. Today, for example, in the Colombian Caribbean more rhythms like vallenato or champeta are heard, in the interior more reggaeton or popular music is heard, but in the south of Colombia and the rest of South America is cumbanchero territory. It is impressive the way cumbia is danced and the popularity of cumbia groups in countries like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and many others.

All places and cultures sound like something that characterizes them. Latin America sounds like cumbia because it is the musical resistance through which the sadness of a people was transmitted in joy.