Cumbia, the traditional genre of dance and folk music of Latin America, has been declared part of Colombia’s national cultural heritage.
The status was announced by the country’s Minister of Culture, Patricia Ariza at the Jose Barros Palomino Cumbia national festival in El Banco, Magdalena earlier this month.
During the festival, according to UpdatedAriza made the announcement when he said: “Cumbia is the heritage of all Colombians, it deserves a place in Colombian history and an important consideration in culture. Cumbia is the true heritage of El Banco, of Colombia, of Latin America, and hopefully one day it will be a heritage of humanity.
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“I’m committed to the greater recognition of what cumbia means,” she continued.
Cumbia is the national dance of Colombia and the style is based on a diverse range of cultural and musical traditions, largely due to the colonization of the country by Spain – including Native Americans, Indians, Africans and Spanish.
As reported by teleSUR, the Colombian Ministry of Culture said: “Cumbia is the result of the mixture between indigenous, African and European peoples. Her story consolidated the identity of the Colombian nation and the peoples of the Caribbean.”
“Cumbia is a cultural manifestation that brings together the genre of music, dance, as well as the set of practices and traditions associated with its development, such as costumes, the production of handmade instruments, rituals and festivals,” the Ministry also said. according to Updated report.
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It is a form of music and dance that is particularly prevalent on the Caribbean coast of the country. It also involves the wearing of traditional costumes and clothing during performances, and conventional instruments such as maracas, gaita flutes and drums are used.
It joins other traditional Colombian genres vallenato and champeta as forms of music and dance that have been granted cultural heritage status.
There are many different interpretations of the genre throughout Latin America, with internationally known acts such as Peru’s Dengue Dengue setting the modern tradition.
Isaac Muk is Mixmag’s digital intern, follow him I tweet
