RouteBarranquilla

Barranquilla's Cumbia: The Dance That Crossed the World

Cumbia — born on Colombia's Caribbean coast from the encounter of African slaves and Indigenous peoples — is now danced throughout Latin America; Barranquilla is the custodian of cumbia's most authentic traditions

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Cumbia Origins and African Roots
Cumbia originated in the 17th and 18th centuries on the Colombian Caribbean coast — the circle dance and drum patterns (especially the tambora and llamador drums) are West African in origin, grafted onto indigenous Colombian melodies and combined with Spanish verse forms
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The light dance
The original cumbia is danced by women holding lit candles - the women move their ruffled white skirts around the flame without extinguishing it; the skill required to maintain the flame and flow of the skirt simultaneously is cumbia's defining technical challenge
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Cumbia's spread through Latin America
Cumbia spread from Colombia throughout Latin America during the 20th century - each country adapting it to its own style; Mexican cumbia, Peruvian chicha cumbia, Argentinian cumbia villera and Central American cumbia all originate from Barranquilla original
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Mapale Dance
Mapale—a faster, more athletically demanding Afro-Colombian dance tradition from the Barranquilla region—is performed at carnival with acrobatic jumps and spins; Mapalen's African origins are less disguised than cumbias and the energy is extraordinary
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Garabato Dance Group
The garabato – a carnival dance performed by a figure dressed for death who tries to get the living while they dance and dodge – is Barranquilla's most distinctive carnival allegory; the garabato dance celebrates the victory of life over death
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Afro-Colombian Cultural Organizations
Barranquilla has a strong network of Afro-Colombian cultural organizations — the community centers, dance schools and carnival groups uphold the African-rooted traditions of cumbia, mapale and congo against the pressure of commercial music