The rhythms of the Caribbean region of Colombia are a very important part of the life of its inhabitants. Among the most popular are some such as vallenato, cumbia or bullerengue.
Music is present in celebrations, parties and, in general, any cultural manifestation of the region.
The Caribbean region of Colombia is made up of 8 departments: Atlántico, Bolívar, La Guajira, Cesar, Sucre, Córdoba, Magdalena, and the islands of San Andrés and Providencia.
It is located in the northern part of the country, bordering Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea.
Its population was originally indigenous until the arrival of the Spaniards and the Africans that they took, changed the demographic structure of the zone.
Major rhythms of the Caribbean region
The rhythms of this region possess diverse cultural influences due to the different towns that have lived there.
On the one hand, indigenous people from the area contributed their traditions and instruments, on the other hand the Spanish incorporated the letters.
But the most determining influence was the African, which when mixed with the others gave rise to a wide range of different styles.
According to experts there are almost 50 different rhythms, between purely indigenous and those with slight variations on these.
Instruments
The musical instruments of the rhythms of the Caribbean region are a mixture of those used by the natives, the Africans and the Europeans. This gives them a unique sound that represents the cultural diversity of the area.
Among the European instruments we find the accordion and tiple, the natives contribute the guacharaca or the gouache, while the tambora or vallenata box would be African contributions.
The bullerengue
Bullerengue was born among the cimarron communities of the Department of Bolivar.
It is a dance that only women dance when they reach puberty. This is the rhythm in which African influence stands out most.
The mapale
In its beginnings it was a typical rhythm of fishing communities.
In fact, its name comes from a fish called Cathorops mapale, which moves out of the water in a way reminiscent of dancers. Its origins are also African and have sexual connotations.
Vallenato
It is one of the most popular and well-known between the rhythms of this area of Colombia and, by extension, of the whole country.
At this rate you can see the triple cultural influence typical of the Caribbean. The use of the accordion, introduced by German immigrants, and the structure of its lyrics refers to European culture.
The vallenata box, a percussion instrument, is the African contribution. Finally, the presence of the guachara, an instrument of scraping, is the main indigenous contribution.
Cumbia
Together with the vallenato is the other rhythm par excellence of the region. As it happened with this, also presents traits contributed by the three cultures that coexisted there.
The metric and the letter show a Hispanic origin, while the instruments are African and indigenous contributions.
Although there are several theories, most affirm that its name is related to the African continent, more concretely with Equatorial Guinea.
References
- Uncover Colombia. Colombian rhythms: loose those hips and have fun. Obtained from uncovercolombia.com
- All Colombia. Musical Rhythms of the Caribbean Region. Obtained from todacolombia.com
- Colombia-sa. Colombian music: cumbias, porros, corridors, bambucos, joropos, salsa, vallenatos. Obtained from colombia-sa.com
- Riquett, Joanna. Dancing to the Rhythm of Caribbean Folklore: A Not-to-Miss Party in Colombia. Obtained from huffingtonpost.com
- Discover Colombia. Cumbia | The Rhythm of Colombia. Obtained from discovercolombia.com