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History of Colombia | The Colombian Animated History in a Nutshell

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This is an educational podcast on Spotify (Note: It is in Spanish).

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Estas narraciones hacen parte de un programa grabado para Radio Nacional de Colombia, gracias a Señal Memoria de la RTVC. Producido por Jaime González, con la dirección general y la narración de la espléndida Diana Uribe. Los episodios son puestos a disposición en este medio únicamente con fines educativos, dado que la aplicación de RTVC presenta problemas para reproducir los episodios del podcast.

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Listen to Historia de Colombia on Spotify. Estas narraciones hacen parte de un programa grabado para Radio Nacional de Colombia, gracias a Señal Memoria de la RTVC. Producido por Jaime González, con la dirección general y la narración de la espléndida Diana Uribe.

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This is a shopping mall in Cali that some of the locals like to go to!

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Eating in Cali is easy. The cuisine at the Valley of Cauca is an extraordinary fusion of several different influences and cultures, from the indigenous tribes of ancient times to the Spanish and Arabic ingredientes brought from the Old World, as well as a strong presence of African elements.

The result is a unique blend that manifests in the form of a number of exquisite dishes that you absolutely must have on your next trip. Because it is such a vast cuisine, we narrowed our recommendations down to 7 dishes that you have to try in Cali, Colombia. Buen provecho!

1. Sancocho de gallina

Perhaps the most famous staple from the valley's cuisine, you will most likely see its name everywhere. What is this funny-named dish made of? It is a rich soup made with hen broth and meat and served with rice, corn cob, yucca, patacones (fried green plantain), avocado and spicy peppers.

2. Tamal valluno

The tamal is one of those dishes that seem to be everywhere in Latin America in some version. This one is made with corn dough and filled with chicken and beef meat and a mix of vegetables. You will usually see it wrapped in banana leaf and served with patacones.

3. Arroz atollado

Similar to the Spanish paella, this dish takes on multiple forms, depending on the cook and the specific place where it is served. In Cali, this rice stew is usually made with pork ribs, bacon, chicken breast, sausage, and sometimes egg. Some of the veggies that are often included in this dish are bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and potatoes, as well as herbs and spices such as coriander, pepper, and cumin.

4. Empanada caleña

Empanadas are ubiquitous throughout Latin America, but ceah region has their very own take on them. In the Valley of Cauca, they are made with corn dough and filled up with beef and chicken, mixed with potatoes, garlic and onion. Then, the whole thing is deep fried for a minute, until everything is crisp and ready to be devoured. Yum!

5. Marranitas vallunas

Speaking of deep fried, these delicious bites are made with plantain dough and filled with pork skin. Thrown in a pool of oil, they re-emerge as something new, something tasty and crunchy. It sounds a little bit strange, but it is heavenly.

6. Aborrajados

Similar to the marranitas, but aborrajados are actually a dessert. The crust is made with plantain, eggs and flour. The filling is a generous portion of white cheese, which melts inside as the aborrajado is deep fried.

7. Manjar blanco

Another typical dessert of the region is this sort-of-pudding of Arabic origin. Similar to the English toffee or the Argentine dulce de leche, it is made with milk, brown sugar, rice, and cinnamon. The result is a thick, sweet kind of porridge that, in spite of its name, is not white but rather brown.

Finally, an honorable mention to a couple of local drinks that are definitely worth trying out. Champu (yes, like shampoo) is a mix of pineapple, naranjilla, brown sugar, corn, and cinnamon, it is served cold with chunks of fruit floating around. Cholado is made with crushed ice, several tropical fruits and condensed milk, and it is known to be a miracle cure for hangovers.

Enjoy the extraordinary cuisine of the Valley of Cauca. With these 7 dishes to try in Cali, you will get started on a thrilling journey through the vast and colorful world of Colombian flavors. Remember, if you're visiting this area, you can always book a room at City Express Plus, we are right by the city's downtown area!

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7 dishes that you have to try in Cali, Colombia

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Eating in Cali is easy. The cuisine at the Valley of Cauca is an extraordinary fusion of several different influences and cultures, from the indigenous tribes of ancient times to the Spanish and Arabic ingredientes brought from the Old World, as well as a strong presence of African elements.

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La chorrera del Indio is a popular waterfall that people go to often.

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La Chorrera del Indio Pance Cali Colombia hoteleria hospedaje

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This is a recipe to make cholado, a very popular Colombian beverage

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These icy treats are made even better by the tropical fruit typically used. However, if you're access to ripe tropical fruit is limited, feel free to riff on this Colombian classic.

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​Description:
There was once a time that tourists to Cartagena were warned to stay clear of Getsemani, the colourful neighborhood being considered a little too "caliente" in the wrong sort of way.

Thankfully times have changed, the area is now super safe and offers visitors a chance to experience more of the culture of Cartagena, beyond the film-set like touristy perfection of the historic walled center.

This is a neighbourhood where locals live; they eat belly-filling "corrientes" at affordable prices from hole-in-the-wall restaurants, dance to champeta and vallenato blaring out from giant sound-systems in front of their homes, buy their groceries from the corner store (normally pausing to check the football score at the same time), play after school sports in the plaza, and generally fill the streets with a vibrancy and warmth you won't encounter anywhere else in the city.

This tour focuses on the history, politics and culture of Getsemani and the greater Cartagena/Colombia whilst exploring the incredible murals and streetart of the neighbourhood. You'll learn about the artists and the messages behind the art..

STREET ART
Getsemani is filled with impressive murals and walls that talk, sharing commentary on social issues such as the neighborhood's fight against gentrification, racism, treatment of the indigenous population, and local forgotten hero Pedro Romero

Meeting place is in front of the Restaurant Nautilus, with a view of the Giant Building Mural dedicated to Afro-Colombian women. Meet time can be 10am or 3pm.

Duration 2 hours Price $25 US pp

NOTE - We do also cover a lot of street-art on our Streetfood tour

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​Description: There was once a time that tourists to Cartagena were warned to stay clear of Getsemani, the colourful neighborhood being considered a little too "caliente" in the wrong sort of way. Thankfully times have changed, the area is now super safe and offers visitors a chance to experience more of the culture of Cartagena, beyond the film-set like touristy perfection of the historic walled center.

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This article goes into some of the must see pieces of street art in Bogotá, Colombia

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It wasn't that long ago that graffiti was thought of in the same vein as cocaine in Bogotá. Police cracked down on graffiti artists hard. Too hard. In 2011, they chased down and killed 16-year-old artist Diego Felipe Becerra, better known then as Tripido, when he was spray-painting his signature Felix the Cat image on a wall near Calle 116 and Avenida Boyaca. The police tried to cover it up, tampering with evidence and accusing Becerra of being an armed robber, but his parents and the city's street art community were having none of it. There were protests throughout the city and two officers were eventually arrested. It was a turning point. Today Bogotá is one of the most street-art-friendly cities on Earth, with walls as high as seven stories on major streets being used as canvases. Police now protect the rights of artists and the city frequently supports street art culture through incentives and city-sponsored projects. Christian Petersen, a.k.a. CRISP, a graffiti artist who also gives tours, gives us the lowdown on where to find Bogotá's best public works.

"The first contact you have with graffiti in Bogotá is coming in from the airport along Avenida El Dorado [Calle 26]. Throwups, bombs, paint-roller pieces, graffiti writing, even some of the city's biggest sponsored walls line Calle 26. Long walls from local legends Ink Crew, MAL Crew, Erre, CTO, Kontra, and Jotados, as well as the iconic 'Kiss of the Invisible' by Vértigo Graffiti, have been commissioned by the city along this street. The best day to check out Calle 26 is on Sunday and holidays, when the city closes off the roads for a bicycle route that runs all through Bogotá. It turns Calle 26 into a rolling gallery for cyclists and pedestrians.

La Candelaria, the most historical part of the city, showcases some of the best work from local and international artists like Ciclope (Argentina), Kiptoe (USA), Kike (Argentina), Amazon (Brazil), and Ericailcane (Italy). The art is spread throughout the area: on hostels, storefronts, parks, cultural institutes, and even on the shipping containers that house the vendors of La Plaza de la Concordia, the oldest plaza in Bogotá. It's a mix of colonial architecture and its rich history, with a mural on every corner.

Bogotá's downtown area, including Avenida Caracas and Carrera 10, is the best spot to see big-format walls. In the last few years, the city has commissioned some of Bogotá's tallest walls with many reaching eight floors and up. Above the busy downtown streets are now tower walls from international artists like Mantra (France), Anis (Chile), Mamani Mamani (Bolivia), and Boa Mistura (Spain), as well as collaborative murals from local artists, like the 115-foot-high 'El Beso de Los Invisibles' on the side of a building at Calle 26 and Carrera 13a. Most are within walking distance from one another.

Since 2016, Vértigo Graffiti has also turned Distrito Graffiti [Puente Aranda], an industrial area of the city, into a must-see. With the help of the secretary of Culture, they have invited more than 50 artists to paint two blocks' worth of brick warehouses. Surrounding a convention center, this area has turned into Bogotá's own Wynwood, with walls from international artists like The London Police (England), Sabotaje al Montaje (Spain), Los CMS (Venezuela), Jade (Peru), Spok (Spain), Flop (Brazil), El Pez (Spain), Bikisimo (Puerto Rico), Esteban Del Valle (USA), Kenor (Spain), Farid Rueda (Mexico), El Xupet Negre (Spain), and BIO from the world famous TATS CRU (USA).

Macro murals, or murals that have been painted on several houses to create a single design, have popped up in the outer barrios of Bogotá. Most of these have one focal point where you can view the mural as a whole. It's being used as a strategy to bring color and opportunity to some of Bogotá's low-income neighborhoods and the secretary of Habitat has created some of the country's biggest murals. The first of the three projects created was in the Los Puentes neighborhood with a total of 383 houses painted. The second was in El Consuelo with more than 500 houses; and the last, recently completed in Buenavista, has more than 700 houses. It's best to join a tour to see these.

The third edition of the LAVAMOATUMBA Project is a two-story house in La Macarena, painted by more than 30 artists from Galería Fénix. The idea was to occupy abandoned spaces with street art and murals, using the space as a gallery before they are torn down. Since its beginning, the project has involved more than 200 artists, filling three different houses with expos, workshops for kids and adults, and film and independent design festivals.

Galería Betain Barrio San Felipe is a conceptual art gallery that has been supporting the urban art scene in Bogotá since 2016. Through their Proyecto Zeta project, they have created several different exhibitions highlighting the work of many Colombian and international graffiti artists.

One of the first graffiti stores in Bogotá, Skinny Universal in Barrio Galerías opened more than ten years ago. It has become the home of Auster, the first 100 percent Colombian aerosol company, made specifically for graffiti artists. Apart from being a paint store, you can find all type of supplies, accessories, and independent clothing brands from local artists. It also hosted the first-ever Colombia exhibitions of major graffiti artists STINKFISH and OBEY.

Galería Visaje Graffiti in Teusaquillo promotes cultural activities and events. In recent years, they've held exhibitions promoting the work of emerging artists, as well as showcasing some of the old-school artists here in Bogotá. They also have a great collection of stickers, clothes, screen prints, and original works."

Week 6: Give It Half a Chance and Bogotá Will Blow Your Mind

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It wasn't that long ago that graffiti was thought of in the same vein as cocaine in Bogotá. Police cracked down on graffiti artists hard. Too hard. In 2011, they chased down and killed 16-year-old artist Diego Felipe Becerra , better known then as Tripido, when he was spray-painting his signature Felix the Cat image on a wall near Calle 116 and Avenida Boyaca.

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This is a forum discussion about street food in Medellin, Colombia

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Streetfood in Medellin (Where is the best!) - Medellin Forum - Tripadvisor

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Hi all Does anyone want to share where the best streetfood can be found in Medellin. Arepas, Chicharron, Empanadas etc etc (or any other must try food!) - Where do the locals go for their fix! Cheers Tesh

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Bogotá Restaurants That Only the Locals Know About

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From bustling food carts that are upending traditional street food to the opening of innovative, high-concept restaurants, the food scene in Colombia’s energetic capital is on the rise. “When I was growing up, it was hard to go out for a decent meal,” recalls Yasmin Sabet, Bogotá native and designer…

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This is a fair that celebrates the rich culture in the region!

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"La Feria de Cali" (The Cali's Fair)

Cali's Fair (Dec. 25 - 30) is the most important cultural event in Cali, Colombia. It is a celebration of the region's cultural identity, famous for the Salsa marathon, horse riding parades and dance parties.

Called "La Feria de Cali" (The Fair of Cali). The Fair has been celebrated since 1957, from December 25 to December 30, and it promotes cultural, ethnical, and musical diversity in the region. Tourism around The Fair is a main driver of the city's economy during the end of the year.

In a few occasions The Fair included Vallenato and Merengue groups from Colombian and surrounding Caribbean countries, and samba schools from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also, the Fair is known as the " ( sugar cane fair) and "Feria de la salsa" ( Salsa music fair). People enjoy many activities like an opening cabalgata (parade of horseback riders), tascas (international food street), salsa concerts, bullfights (which are under a legal dispute), parades, athletic activities/competitions and cultural exhibitions.

From an international stand point Cali is also known as the "Capital de la Salsa" given the city's love of that type of Afro-Caribbean music. In early July there is also the Summer Salsa Festival which lasts for one week. It usually includes concerts by the world's great remaining salsa bands as well as dance shows and "melomano" competitions in which salsa connoisseurs try to out do each other by digging deep into the archives of salsa music and related sounds to find and reveal long lost tunes.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cali's Fair (Dec. 25 - 30) is the most important cultural event in Cali, Colombia. It is a celebration of the region's cultural identity, famous for the Salsa marathon, horse riding parades and dance parties. Called "La Feria de Cali" (The Fair of Cali).

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"8 Colombian Women Who Changed the Course of History"

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"8 Colombian Women Who Changed the Course of History"

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This article briefly talks about 8 extremely influential Colombian women in history. These are the kinds of women who paved the way for the Colombian women making waves in society today.

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Lead Photo: Art by Alan López for Remezcla

Art by Alan López for Remezcla

Latinas in the U.S. come from a long line of influential, barrier-breaking, rebel Latin American women. Through Remezcla's Herstory series, we introduce readers to the women warriors and pioneers whose legacies we carry on.
In times of revolution, women have led the way. While the history of Colombia is told through the accounts of mostly male "libertadores," women played an important role in the resistance, defying Spanish conquistadors, slave owners, exploitative bosses, greedy landowners and unjust forms of government.

While history may remember some women such as Policarpa Salavarrieta, a pro-independence spy whose portrait is displayed on the 10,000 peso bill, many others - mostly Black and Indigenous women - remain forgotten. Other important leaders, legendary in their provinces for spearheading land rights and workers' rights movements, rarely make it in the official textbooks.

In some cases, scarce information on these female leaders still exist despite their relevance to important moments in history. For example, little is known about Polonia, a powerful palenquera, or free Black woman, that in times of slavery led a small army to fight a Spanish conquistador.

It's unfortunate that despite the bravery of these women - with some risking their careers or even their lives for their beliefs - have been barely remembered. Still, a diverse group of scholars and educators are taking steps to tell a more inclusive account of history - sometimes collecting oral accounts from descendants to uncover long-forgotten stories.

As part of our Herstory series, we've looked back at the brave women of Colombia who may not all be celebrated with prominent statues or national holidays, but that, regardless, marked the course of history for the better.

1

In times of colonization, Indigenous authorities were known as caciques. The Cacica Gaitana was one of the few women to hold this position of power. When Spanish conquistadors arrived to her town of Timaná in 1539, they killed her son after he refused to appear before them. In retaliation, the Cacica Gaitana galvanized a group of more than 6,000 Indigenous soldiers to attack the Spanish cohort. After killing the man who had ordered her son's death, the Cacica Gaitan went on to lead an armed resistance against the Spanish invaders, at one point amassing an army of 10,000 indigenous soldiers.

2

Not much is known about Polonia, but it's said that in times of slavery, the free Black woman led an army of 150 people to defeat a Spanish conquistador by the name of Pedro Ordóñez Ceballos. Described as a palanquera, Polonia was one of the many slaves who escaped and formed their own free towns.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Polonia pacted a deal with the conquistador after the battle in 1581 to trade lands and to free her army. However, she was ultimately deceived. Still, Polonia is remembered for her bravery as one of the first Afro-descendent women in Colombia to lead a movement of resistance.

3

When the Viceroyalty of New Granada was established in 1717, millions came to live under the tyranny of the Spanish Empire. A hike in taxes to fund the empire's army and dominance provoked the ire of Neogranadines, including Manuela Beltrán. In 1781, when an increase in taxes were announced, the 57-year-old woman of Spanish descent not only tore the edict in two, but mobilized 1,000 commoners to protest the colonial government in the town square of Socorro. This unrest spread to other territories, such as modern Venezuela and southern Colombia.

4

Affectionately referred to as "La Pola," Policarpa Salavarrieta is remembered as a hero of the Colombian independence movement. When the war broke out between the Spanish Royalists and the Revolutionary Forces, Salavarrieta's family allied with the latter. In 1817, she moved to Santa Fe de Bogotá, the capital city, where she spied on the inner operations of important royalists while she worked in their homes as a seamstress. That same year, her real identity was found out and she was executed by a firing squad. Today, the anniversary of her death on November 14 is commemorated with Day of the Colombian Woman, a national holiday.

5

After Colombia broke free from Spaniard rule in 1819, the provincial government of what we know today as Sucre attempted to dispossess poor farmers of their land and hand them over to royalists of Spanish descent, according to one account. Felicita Campos, a Black peasant farmer, stood her ground when officials came to steal her lands, said to have used "witchcraft" to turn away officials and even military soldiers. As she fought to keep her home, she also organized fellow peasant farmers to resist large-scale landowners, sparking a lands rights movement that spread throughout the province.

6

Although María Cano's career as a union organizer is legendary in Colombia, she initially wanted to be a writer. Led by her passion for literature, Cano called for the creation of a library that would be free and open to the public - this is considered her first act of activism. Shortly afterward, she demanded the liberation of jailed union members and mobilized against the death penalty and in favor of civil rights. Political activism in the 1920s was considered men's work, so when Cano spoke in public, she attracted crowds. Cano was imprisoned after the Banana Massacre, a state-led repression of workers in 1928 immortalized by Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Following this tragedy and her marginalization in the socialist movement, Cano quietly retired from public life.

7

Betsabé Espinal is remembered for having led the first strike of female workers in 1920. At the time of the strike, Espinal was a 24-year-old textile worker. After suffering many abuses from her bosses, Espinal galvanized 400 female textile workers to demand equal pay and an end to exploitative practices, such as sexual harassment and long work days. The protest worked, and many of their demands were met. However, Espinal was fired in an act of retaliation by superiors. Still, the history of the strike lived on and inspired similar protests in the following years.

8

Esmeralda Arboleda is known as the first woman elected to the Colombian Senate in 1958. She was also the first woman to study at the University of Cauca and the first woman to practice law in southwestern Colombia. An advocate for women's suffrage, she toured the country collecting signatures to present legislation that would grant women the right to vote. Congress approved the bill in 1954, with women exercising their newly won right three years later. After her time in Congress, during which the government found itself obligated to build a women's restroom in the capitol building, Arboleda also served as the country's first female ambassador.

herstory

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Herstory: 8 Colombian Women Who Changed the Course of History

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Latinas in the U.S. come from a long line of influential, barrier-breaking, rebel Latin American women. Through Remezcla's Herstory series, we introduce readers to the women warriors and pioneers whose legacies we carry on. In times of revolution, women have led the way. While the history of Colombia is told through the accounts of mostly [...]

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This article by the African American Registry goes into some of the political history of Afro-Colombians

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Afro Colombians, a brief history

*This date in 1810, celebrates Colombia's Independence from Spain. This article affirms the history, culture and heritage of Afro Colombians the countries citizens of African descent. Colombia is considered to have the fourth largest Black African population in the western hemisphere, after Brazil, Haiti and the United States. The Colombian Declaration of Independence refers to the episode in Santa Fe de Bogota, in the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada. That day resulted in the establishment of a Junta de Santa Fe. The experience in self-government eventually led to the creation of the Republic of Gran Colombia.

Africans first began coming with explorers to Columbia in the first decade of the 16th century. By the 1520s, Africans were being imported into Colombia as slaves from the Congo, Angola, Gambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Mali to replace the rapidly declining Native Colombian population. African slaves were forced to work in gold mines, on sugar cane plantations, cattle ranches, and large haciendas. African labor was essential in all the regions of Colombia, even until the 20 th century.

African workers pioneered the extracting of alluvial gold deposits and the growing of sugar cane in the areas that correspond to the modern-day departments of Chocó, Antioquia, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Nariño in western Colombia. In eastern Colombia, near the cities of Vélez, Cúcuta, Socorro, and Tunja, Africans manufactured textiles in commercial mills. Emeraldmines, outside Bogotá, were wholly dependent upon African laborers. Also, other sectors of the Colombian economy like tobacco, cotton, artisanry and domestic work would have been impossible without African slave labor.

In pre-abolition Colombia (before 1851), many Afro-Colombian captives fought the Spanish and their colonial forces for their freedom as soon as they arrived in Colombia. It is clear that there were strong free Black African towns called , where Africans could live as cimarrones, that is, they who escaped from their oppressors. Also, the Raizal ethnic group is an Afro-Caribbean group living in Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, speaking the San Andrés-Providencia Creole.

Afro Panamanians are also related to Afro-Colombians, some historians consider that Chocó was a very big Palenque, with a large population of cimarrones, especially in the areas of the Baudó River. Very popular cimarrón leaders like Benkos Biojó and Barule fought for freedom. African people played key roles in the independence struggle against Spain. Historians note that three of every five soldiers in Simon Bolívar's army were African. Not only that, Afro-Colombians also participated at all levels of military and political life. During this time, African Colombians were forced to live in jungle areas for self-protection. There, they learned to have a harmonious relationship with the jungle environment and to share the territory with Colombia's indigenous people.

From 1851 into the 20 th century, the Colombian State promoted the ideology of mestizaje, or miscegenation. So, in order to maintain their cultural traditions, many Africans and indigenous peoples went deep into the isolated jungles. Afro-Colombians and indigenous people were, and continue to be, the targets of the armed actors who want to displace them in order to take their lands for sugar cane plantations, for coffee and banana plantations, for mining and wood exploitation. In 1944 the department of El Chocó was created; it was the first predominantly African political-administrative division. El Chocó gave African people the possibility of building an African territorial identity and some autonomous decision-making power. The Department was created by (then) speaker at House of Representatives Pedro Yances Salcedo, but it was never legally established.

It's estimated that 4.4 million Afro-Colombians actively recognize their own Black ancestry, while many other African Colombians do not, as a result of inter-racial relations with white and indigenous Colombians. Afro-Colombians often encounter racial discrimination and prejudice. They have been historically absent from high level government positions and many of their long-established settlements around the Pacific coast have remained underdeveloped. In Colombia's ongoing internal conflict, Afro-Colombians are both victims of violence or displacement and members of armed factions, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC and the AUC. African Colombians contribute to the development of Colombian culture. Several of Colombia's musical genres, such as Cumbia and Vallenato, have African origins and some African Colombians have also been successful in sports.

Colombia's civil war began in 1964 and ended in 2017, when a peace treaty between the guerrilla movement (FARC) and the government was signed. This long civil war continues to affect most Colombians into the 21 st century. According to the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous People (WDMIP), some particular communities have been significantly more affected than others. One of these are Afro-Colombian communities, who have been strongly impacted by the civil war, mainly because of their vulnerability and lack of protection from the government. For years, the FARC sought areas to gain possession of as much Colombian territory as they can; territories occupied by indigenous groups and Afro-Colombians. are typically the poorest and therefore seen as the easiest areas to invade. In fact, many Afro-Colombian regions have been "attacked" and taken over by the FARC, which has resulted in more than 2 million Afro-Colombians being displaced. Most of them have been forced to migrate towards bigger cities (like Bogotá, Cali, or Medellín), which has increased their level of poverty (due to the higher cost of living in urban areas), as well as their exposure to discrimination and violence.

Though the occurrences of racial violence against them has decreased since the 2017 peace treaty was signed, the people who were displaced continue to struggle to go back to their hometowns. Because of this, many Afro-Colombians have been victims of collateral damage and have been killed due to this war, which has become another major reason for displacement to occur. According to a research done by one of Colombia's official radio stations called Caracol Radio, over 25% of Afro-Colombians have left their hometown due to violence. They have been exposed to bombs, shootings, and deaths at a much higher level than all other Colombians. Finally, another conflict that has been generated by the civil war is that of drug trafficking and prostitution. For years, the FARC guerrilla was seeking to recruit people that would do this for them at a low cost. Given that a high percentage of Afro-Colombians are extremely poor, young people from these communities are tempted by these options as the only way out of the poverty they live in. As a result, over 40% of the people in the guerrilla is composed of Afro-Colombians who support the conflict and have been manipulated by the guerrilla to continue supporting their side of the conflict.

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Afro Colombians, a brief history - African American Registry

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This date in 1810, celebrates Colombia's Independence from Spain. This article affirms the history, culture and heritage of Afro Colombians the countries citizens of African descent. Colombia is considered to have the fourth largest Black African population in the western hemisphere, after Brazil, Haiti and the United States.

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This article talks about protesters taking down a statue of conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar.

It also goes into some of the history of the Indigenous groups who were affected by him and what the statue represents.

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A regional umbrella group of indigenous peoples released a statement saying they had toppled the statue after putting Belalcázar on trial and finding him guilty of genocide, enslavement, torture, rape and stealing their ancestral lands.

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Colombia: Indigenous protesters topple conquistador's statue

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A regional umbrella group of indigenous peoples released a statement saying they had toppled the statue after putting Belalcázar on trial and finding him guilty of genocide, enslavement, torture, rape and stealing their ancestral lands.

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"Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop: Globalization, Transcultural Music, and Ethnic Identities" by Christopher Dennis

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"Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop: Globalization, Transcultural Music, and Ethnic Identities" by Christopher Dennis

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This book is about exactly what you think it is.

Note: The book is absurdly expensive and I have absolutely no idea why

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Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop: Globalization, Transcultural Music, and Ethnic Identities, by Christopher Dennis, explores the impact that globalization and the transnational spread of U.S. popular culture-specifically hip-hop and rap-are having on the social identities of younger generations of black Colombians. Along with addressing why and how hip-hop has migrated so effectively to Colombia's black communities, Dennis introduces readers to some of the country's most renowned Afro-Colombian hip-hop artists, their musical innovations, and production and distribution practices. Above all, Dennis demonstrates how, through a mode of transculturation, today's young artists are transforming U.S. hip-hop into a more autonomous art form used for articulating oppositional social and political critiques, reworking ethnic identities, and actively contributing to the reimagining of the Colombian nation.
Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop uncovers ways in which young Afro-Colombian performers are attempting to use hip-hop and digital media to bring the perspectives, histories, and expressive forms of their marginalized communities into national and international public consciousness.

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Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop: Globalization, Transcultural Music, and Ethnic Identities, by Christopher Dennis, explores the impact that globalization and the transnational spread of U.S. popular culture-specifically hip-hop and rap-are having on the social identities of younger generations of black Colombians.

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This Wikipedia page goes into different music of Colombia, with a section dedicated to urban and hip-hop.

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The music of Colombia is an expression of Colombian culture, music genres, both traditional and modern, according with the features of each geographic region, although it is not uncommon to find different musical styles in the same region. The diversity in musical expressions found in Colombia can be seen as the result of a mixture of Amerindian, African, and European (especially Spanish) influences, as well as more modern American.

Colombia has a vibrant collage of talent that touches a full spectrum of rhythms ranging from Pop music and Classical music to Salsa and Rock music. Colombian music is promoted mainly by the support of the largest record labels, independent companies and the Government of Colombia, through the Ministry of Culture.

Colombia is known as "The land of a thousand rhythms" but actually holds over 1,025 folk rhythms. Some of the best known genres are cumbia and vallenato. The most recognized interpreters of traditional Caribbean and Afrocolombian music are Totó la Momposina and Francisco Zumaqué.

Cumbia began as a courtship dance practiced among the African population on the Caribbean coasts of Colombia. It is a mixture of Spanish, Native Colombian and African music. The style of dance is designed to recall the shackles worn around the ankles of the slaves. In the 19th century, slavery was abolished and Africans, Indians and other ethnic groups got a more complete integration in the Colombian culture.

Cumbia is a complex, rhythmic music which arose on Colombia's Atlantic coast. In its original form, cumbia bands included only percussion and vocals; modern groups include saxophones, trumpets, keyboards and trombones as well. It evolved out of native influences, combining both traditions. Some observers have claimed that the dance originally associated with iron chains around the ankle. Others still believe that it is a direct import from Guinea, which has a popular dance form called cumbe.

Cumbia's form was solidified in the 1940s when it spread from the rural countryside to urban and middle-class audiences. Mambo, big band and porro brass band influences were combined by artists like Lucho Bermúdez to form a refined form of cumbia that soon entered the Golden Age of Cumbia during the 1950s. Discos Fuentes, the largest and most influential record label in the country, was founded during this time. Fruko, known as the Godfather of Salsa, introduced Cuban salsa to Colombia and helped bring Discos Fuentes to national prominence by finding artists like La Sonora Dinamita, who brought cumbia to Mexico, where it remains popular.

It is worth pointing out that the "classic" cumbia known throughout Colombia is the Cumbia Cienaguera. This song reflects a uniquely Colombian feel known as "sabor" (flavour) and "ambiente" (atmosphere). Arguably, this song has remained a Colombian staple through the years and is widely known as Colombia's unofficial national anthem. Some artists are Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, Los Graduados, Los Black Stars, Los Golden Boys, Los Teen Agers, and Los Corraleros de Majagual. In the United States, an Afro- Colombian band based in New York called Grupo Rebolu, performs a variety of Afro-Colombian rhythms with authentic instruments such as Tambora and Tambor Alegre. Their repertoire includes Cumbia and many more genres from the Northern coast of Colombia as part of their original compositions.

Some Colombian communities, such as Chocó, Cartagena, San Andres and Providence Island, have large African-descendant communities. Unlike most of the country, cultural mixing with native and European influences have been rare, and, especially in El Chocó, music has changed little since being imported from West Africa. Providencia Island is also home to a type of folk music which is closely related to mento, a Jamaican folk form. Most influentially, however, is the city of Cartagena and its champeta music which has been influenced by soukous, compas, zouk, and reggae. Champeta musicians have included Luis Towers, El Afinaíto, El Sayayín, El Pupy, and Boogaloo, while others like Elio Boom have incorporated Jamaican raggamuffin music to champeta.

Porro bands are an enthusiastic form of big band music that came from Sucre, Córdoba and Sabana de Bolívar. The brass ensembles are modeled after European military bands. Influential porros include La Orquestra Lucho Bermudez, Matilde Diaz, Pacho Galan, Banda de 11 Enero, La Sonora Cordobesa, La Sonora Cienaguera, Orquesta Climaco Sarmiento and Pedro Laza y sus Pelayeros.

Vallenato was first played by the pre-Columbian Indians using traditional instruments. The first vallenato singer was Guillermo Buitrago, born in the Magdalena department. Vallenato did not always use accordion as its main instrument. In fact, from 1920 to 1936 the main instrument was the guitar groups such as bovea and sus vallenatos also are among the first vallenato singers. They form the group in the city of Barranquilla Atlantico department. They also were the first to take the vallenato music to a different country like Argentina more specifically in northern Argentina Contrary to popular belief, vallenato is not a rhythm. Rather, it is a Genre. It is made up of four rhythms: Son, Puya, Merengue, and Paseo. Vallenato arose in Valledupar on Colombia's Atlantic Coast and only gained popularity elsewhere in the country in the 1980s. Its origins are shrouded in mystery but are said to have begun with Francisco el Hombre, who allegedly defeated Satan in a musical contest. Based around the accordion,the guacharaca, and the caja vallenata(a larger version of the bongo), vallenato has long been connected with cumbia. Influential artists include Alejo Duran and more recently, Alfredo Gutiérrez and Lisandro Meza. In addition to the accordion, the bass guitar has been a common part of vallenato ensembles since it was introduced by Caliya in the mid-1960s. The most recent modernization of vallenato occurred in 1993 when Carlos Vives released Clásicos de la Provincia, which made him into a star and changed the face of vallenato.

An important phenomenon has occurred in Colombia with Vallenato. At first it was an exclusive kind of music for Atlantic Coast people but because the proliferation of radio programs of this genre in other cities of the republic (Example: Bogota), and the migration of people from the Coast to the capital, Vallenato took more consolidation in the rest of Colombia. But not only the music but the musicians of the genre increase in the capital and other cities. In 2006 for first time a musicians from Bogota, Alberto "Beto" Jamaica was the king of Vallenato in the traditional competition to play accordion, "El Festival Vallenato". Another important musicians from other cities have taken importance in the Vallenato world.

Vallenato has spawned several subgenres, including vallenato-protesta, which is known for socially aware lyrics, and charanga vallenata, which was invented by Cubans in the United States like progenitor Roberto Torres.

This is one of the most African influenced-styles in all of Colombia, and has its roots among the Afro-Colombian/African-descendant/Black people of the Pacific coast.

In its most basic form, the currulao is played by a group of four musicians.

One musician plays a 6-8 rhythm on a drum known as a "cununo", which superficially resembles the "alegre" drum (used in Cumbia) to the untrained eye, but is narrower and taller. The Currulao rhythm is created by both striking the skin of the drum with the one's hand and tapping the side of the drum with a small stick.

The second musician keeps time on a shaker known in parts of Colombia as a "guasá"(goo-ah-SAH) or "guache"(goo-AH-cheh), which is typically a hollow cylinder made of metal, wooden, or guadua bamboo, filled with light seeds, rice is sometimes used in home-made guasás.

But the main instrument of the currulao style is perhaps the Colombian marimba, a wooden xylophone which resembles the African balafon also for the style of playing.

Many groups in Colombia perform this traditional style of music. Currently, the most renowned groups include Grupo Socavón, Grupo Gualajó, and Grups Bahia Trio. A well renowned figure among the old marimbero masters in Colombia is Baudilio Cuama Rentería from Buenaventura Colombia.

In the United States two Colombian Bands performing this genre with authentic traditional instruments are La Cumbiamba NY, on the east coast (New York), and Aluna Band in the west coast (San Francisco). In 2010, Currulao has been added to the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Flor de Romero (Bambuco - example of a genre of folk music in the Center-East Andean)

Ojito de Agua (Merengue Bambuquiao - example of a genre of folk music in the North-Western Andean)

Ángela (Hayno - example of a genre of folk music in the South-Western Andean)

Siquele (Rajaleña - example of a genre of folk music in the Center-South Andean)

Bambuco is a type of music with Basque influence, sometimes known as Música del interior. It is not clear the origins of this style, but many specialist agree that it has many components of Spanish folk music. Its popularity has long been, but was extremely popular across Colombia from the mid-1920s to the late 1930s. Artists include Estudiantina, Los Carranguerros de Raquira, Jaime Llano González, Jorge Villamil, and the Morales Pino Trío.

Guabina is a rhythm from the Andean Mountains in Colombia. The features of this music are based on dances and lifestyles of the people from Antioquia, Santander, Boyacá, Tolima, and, Huila. The Guabina rhythm includes dancers, but it may be played without them. There is a version of the Guabina that is played faster and is called Torbellino. Another type of Guabina, known as guabina-torbellino, is a mixture of the instrumental torbellino and the sung guabina, particularly in its format. Guabina is most popular in rural communities.

Música llanera is a harp-led genre of music from the Llanos popular throughout Colombia. It includes the traditional joropo musical style, and is known for verbal contests called contrapunteo. Artists in this genre include Alfredo Rolando Ortiz (born in Cuba), Alma Llanera (Colombian band), Cimarrón (band), Luis Ariel Rey, Carlos Rojas, Sabor Llanero, Arnulfo Briceño, and Orlando Valdemarra. This particular type of music is also popular in Venezuela due to the shared llanos. It is considered to be the national music of Venezuela. Listen joropo music .

Salsa music was born among Puerto Ricans and Cubans, but soon spread to Colombia. Native salsa groups like Fruko y sus Tesos and labels that recorded them like Discos Fuentes emerged. Artists like Joe Arroyo followed, inventing a distinctively Colombian form of salsa. Other influential Colombian salsa artists include Cristian Del Real "The Timbal Genius", Grupo Niche, Alquimia, La Misma Gente, Los Titanes, Los Nemus del Pacífico, Orquesta Guayacán, Grupo Galé and La Sonora Carruseles. Some of the most prolific composers in the genre are Jairo Varela and Nino Caicedo whose compositions have been recorded by Grupo Niche and Orquesta Guayacán respectively. Several Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians who have established in Colombia, such as Diego Valdés and Israel Tanenbaum, have collaborated with Colombians in salsa projects. Recently Colombian dancers have become World Champions year after year and the style is becoming more popular and admired among Salsa professionals worldwide; with two of the most prominent salsa schools being Swing Latino driven by the dance choreographer Eduardo 'El Mulato' Hernandez, and Constelación Latina driven by one of the world's most beloved dancers Jhoanna 'KKO' Agudelo. As a dance, Colombian Salsa is unique and different from New York/Puerto Rico and Cuban salsa. Colombian Salsa concentrates on footwork and does not incorporate cross-body leads. Dancers leave the upper part of the body still and relaxed while the feet do extremely fast and complex movements.

In the late 1950s, Mexican rock artists like Enrique Guzmán and César Costa became very popular in Colombia. Soon, native rock bands like Los Speakers and The Flippers gained a wide following. Starting in 1967 (see 1967 in music), native bands like Génesis (unrelated to the more famous band Genesis of a similar name) fused native musical forms (like cumbia) with rock. Marco, the voice of the Rock and Roll, was a pioneer and promoter of the "Rockabilly Colombian" performed with his unmistakable personal stamp in their own language. Virtuality is in their first recordings routed to the sensitive listener to enjoy the simplicity of rock bass, guitar and drums, combined into a whole to produce a very particular and in an atmosphere of a home recording studio, filled with reel tapes and three microphones mixed in mono line. (Marco Tulio Sanchez B) contributed to the Colombian rock and roll look to the past to remember our roots, dabbling in country and rockabilly music evokes Elvis Presley, is called today the "Elvis colombiano", awarded abroad for their ability on stage as a whole "Showman" and the unmistakable voice of Cronn rocker.

Rock in Colombia gained great popularity during the 1980s with the arrival of bands such as Soda Stereo ( Argentina), Los Prisioneros ( Chile), and Hombres G (Spain). During the 90's, many punk and heavy metal bands appeared in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali. Colombia has possibly the biggest underground, hardcore, metal and punk movement of the continent, and is known in Latin America as the "punk corner". Kraken and Masacre are some of the most important Colombian rock bands.

The music event Rock al Parque celebrated yearly in Bogotá is the largest free rock festival in Latin America; around 100 bands playing their music along 3 days and 400,000 people in attendance. Currently, Doctor Krápula, a rock band with strong ska influences that is known for making covers of traditional Latin American songs, enjoys great popularity. A popular Colombian Rock band outside of Colombia is The Monas. Aterciopelados named "Colombia's Hottest Band" in a magazine article, is one of the most recognized Rock bands of Colombia. "The band, made up of front woman Andrea Echeverri and bassist/producer Hector Buitrago, mixes punk, surf guitar and ska with folky Colombian styles such as vallenato, a bouncy, accordion-heavy genre".

Other popular and interesting bands are Ekhymosis, a group led by Juanes, who began making music in 1988 and are known for doing rock with a Colombian influence, The Hall Effect who make English pop/rock linked with Britpop influences. SOUNDACITY performs a mix of Brit rock, pop and Andean sounds, rhythms and instrumentation, sing both in English and Spanish and have toured the United States east coast. Proper Strangers is an avant-garde rock band. Two Way Analog is an eclectic band whose influence are roadmovies and its soundtracks, Divagash is an electronic soft-rock band, La Pestilencia is a post-hardcore band, Bajo Tierra, Palenke Soultribe (traditional Colombin roots music fused with electronic beats). But, possibly, the most successful "indie" band is Sidestepper, with its fusion of Colombian traditional music, electronic and African rhythms, who already appeared in Coachella Festival in 2006. Some musical groups in the death metal genre are the world-famous Internal Suffering, Carnivore Diprosopus, Goretrade, Mindly Rotten, Suppuration, and Amputated Genitals. Colombia is also the birthplace of the well known black metal band Inquisition, now based in Seattle, Washington. Miguel Fernando Trapezaris, the bassist of Cyprus-based Epic power metal band Winter's Verge, is of Colombian descent.

This musical genre has been growing recently with artists like Los de Adentro, San Alejo, Sebastian Yepes, Lucas Arnau or Mauricio & Palodeagua. Pop with strong traces of traditional Colombian music, named Tropipop, is also rising currently. Fonseca and Maía represent this trend.

Some of Colombia's most internationally recognized artists include the following:

Shakira is the highest selling and most recognized Colombian artist. After the success of her album Pies Descalzos in 1995, Shakira began working with producer Emilio Estefan Jr. and recorded Dónde Están los Ladrones? which sold millions worldwide. Proving herself as more than a "studio pop-diva"[promotion? ] in her MTV Unplugged presentation, Shakira went on to make an English album Laundry Service which debuted at #3 in the Billboard Charts of the USA.

Her most successful songs are " Hips Don't Lie", which sold over 10 million copies and downloads worldwide, topped in over 70 countries #1, and the song "Whenever Wherever" She is winner of 2 American and 7 Latin Grammies. 2008, Shakira was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Juanes is the most important Colombian artist of the last decade as he has said magazine and the newspaper El Espectador in Colombia due to the success of songs such as " Fíjate Bien", " A Dios le Pido", " La Camisa Negra", " Me Enamora" and Yerbatero which have occupied at # 1 on the charts in America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand and albums Fíjate Bien, Un Día Normal, , La Vida... Es Un Ratico Platinum release and P.A.R.C.E.. Juanes was chosen by CNN as a global icon and is the youngest of the list. His humanitarian activism has characterized him as the most supportive artist in the history of Spanish music. Since he began in the music Juanes has broken records with the Latin Grammys since their creation.

Fanny Lú, from the southern city of Santiago de Cali has released three full-length albums, Lágrimas Cálidas, and Felicidad y Perpetua. The first produced two hits, "No Te Pido Flores," and "Y Si Te Digo." The second,"Tú No Eres Para Mi and recently "Fanfarrón from her third studio album." She also serves as Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations.

Maía, hailing from the same port city as Shakira, Barranquilla, the trilingual artist has topped the charts with several international hits including "Niña Bonita," "Se Me Acabó El Amor," and "Ingenuidad" from her debut album, El Baile de los Sueños.

Ilona, a native of Colombia's capital city, Bogotá, she cut her teeth singing in the public transport bus service at the age of 15. She has released two full-length studio albums including Desde Mi Ventana and the Latin Grammy Award nominated Allá en el Sur.

Carlos Vives, from the coastal city of Santa Marta, Vives is famous for fusing classic vallenato sounds with rock music. He has collaborated with diverse international artists such as Marc Anthony and Daddy Yankee as well as countrymen ChocQuibTown and Maluma.

Naty Botero

Paula Arenas

Lucas Arnau

Sebastian Yatra

Hip Hop came to Colombia in the late 1980s when a few US Hip-Hop tracks by NWA and MC Hammer spurred a break-dancing fever among the young of the less privileged areas of major cities such as Medellín, Cali and Bogotá. Towards the end of this decade groups began to form, eventually leading to complete album productions in the mid-1990s. La Etnnia and Gotas de Rap were two of the various hip-hop groups that emerged and are widely considered as the pioneers of Colombian Rap. Promoting a very independent style, both groups expressed extreme political and social views, protesting violence, corruption, inequality and hardships in the marginalized regions of Colombia. Then Asilo 38 from Cali come onto the scene with the albums, La Hoguera (2000) and La Descarga (2002), presenting a more commercial and polished sound, while still retaining strong socio-political messages.
It is about this time that Reggaeton from Puerto Rico surges in popularity and Hip-Hop in Colombia takes a back seat for a while as artists try their hand at the new controversial sound. Artist(s) such as Tres Pesos, J Balvin, Maluma, Reykon y Yelsid have established themselves in this genre and hits such as 'Baila (Negra de trasero grande)' by Leka el Poeta and the explixcitly worded 'La Quemona' and 'Micaela' by Master Boy take the country by storm. Even the first ever Colombian 'X Factor' in 2006 produces a Reggaeton singer called Farina Pao Paucar Franco who places third in the competition.

Karol G is a Colombian reggaetón singer who has done collaborations with other reggaetón singers, such as J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Maluma. Throughout her career, Karol G has had troubles in the industry because reggaetón is a genre that is dominated by male artists. She recounts how when starting her career she noticed that there weren't many opportunities for her in the genre because reggaeton was dominated by male artists. In 2018, Karol G's single Mi Cama became very popular and she made a remix with J Balvin and Nicky Jam. The Mi cama remix appeared in the top 10 Hot Latin Songs and number 1 in Latin Airplay charts. This year she has collaborated with Maluma called Creeme and with Anuel AA in Culpables. The single, Culpables has been in the top 10 Hot Latin Songs for 2 consecutive weeks.

Reggae has always been popular in the Colombian Caribbean islands of San Andres and Providence and Spanish Reggae from Panama has helped to strengthen the movement of Reggae artists in the Colombian interior. Artists such as Voodoo Soul Jah, Nawal and Alerta Kamarada (Colombian representatives in the Jamaican Reggae festival) are currently spearheading this ever more popular genre in Colombia.
2006 brings a renaissance in Colombian Hip-Hop in the form of Afro-Colombian group ChocQuibTown, fusing traditional rhythms and instruments from their native lands in the Colombian Pacific into their sound. Already hailed as the new phenemomenon in Colombian Hip-Hop, their popularity is ever increasing and making way for other Urban artists to emerge. One such artist is Jiggy Drama, from the island of San Andres, who has become one of the most loved and controversial rap artist in Colombia, his lyrics are spicy and intelligent. Jiggy Drama collaborated with Colombian Party Cartel on the urban merengue track "Chico Malo". *On the international stage Aztek Escobar based in Houston, Colombian Party Cartel based in Nashville, Tres Coronas based in New York, Adassa based in Miami and 3 of the seven-man group of Culcha Candela in Berlin, Germany are representing Colombian urban music worldwide.

Brill, Mark. Music of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2nd Edition, 2018. Taylor & Francis ISBN 1138053562

Burton, Kim. "El Sonido Dorado". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 372-385. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0

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The music of Colombia is an expression of Colombian culture, music genres, both traditional and modern, according with the features of each geographic region, although it is not uncommon to find different musical styles in the same region.

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"Decolonizing Our Feminist/ized Revolutions: Enfleshed Praxis from Southwest Colombia" by Sara C. Motta

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"Decolonizing Our Feminist/ized Revolutions: Enfleshed Praxis from Southwest Colombia" by Sara C. Motta

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"Medellin: The Capital of Colombian Rap"

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"Medellin: The Capital of Colombian Rap"

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Medellin: The Capital of Colombian Rap - Stereotheque

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The city of Bogotá may be the capital of Colombia, but Medellín, the second-largest city in the country, is definitely the capital of Colombian rap.

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Aquí en el Ghetto: Hip‐hop in Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico by Arlene B. Tickner

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Aquí en el Ghetto: Hip‐hop in Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico by Arlene B. Tickner

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(Start the video at 12:13)

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The Washington Office on Latin America, Global Rights, and the National Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) are pleased to host Explosión Negra
Jhon Harrinson Palacios Sánchez
Director and Vocalist

Lino Agualimpia Murillo
Rapper and Percussionist

Dilma Luz Mosquera Rodríguez
Choral vocalist

Jeffrey Scott Guerra
DJ

Ángela María Olguín
Communications

Jahir Córdoba Escobar
Vocalist
And moderator
Gimena Sánchez
Senior Associate for the Andes, WOLA

9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Washington Office on Latin America
1666 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009

Explosión Negra (Black Explosion) interprets fusions of urban music ranging from hip hop and reggae to dance hall and raggamurphy, mixing it with traditional Afro-Colombian Pacific coast and African cultural rhythms, including the currulao, chirimía, alabao, pastillo, and jota. The group has worked with this type of fusion for five years, seeking to recover their ancestral afrodescendant culture and combine it with modern urban rhythms. Their work offers a way to combat racism, violence, and exclusion in their societies as well, offering alternatives to conflict for young men and women along Colombia's Pacfic coast.

The group will present their work and explain how it has been influenced by their experience being displaced by the conflict. They will outline how the music has offered a sustainable way to survive in the city and present a sample of their work, as well as how it can continue to engage Colombia's youth.
Click here to view a music video of Explosión Negra's Dolor y Sufrimiento.

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Promoting Peace in Colombia Through Hip-Hop - WOLA

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The Washington Office on Latin America, Global Rights, and the National Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) are pleased to host Explosión Negra Jhon Harrinson Palacios Sánchez Director and Vocalist Lino Agualimpia Murillo Rapper and Percussionist Dilma Luz Mosquera Rodríguez Choral vocalist Jeffrey Scott Guerra DJ Ángela María Olguín Communications Jahir Córdoba Escobar Vocalist And moderator Gimena Sánchez Senior Associate for the Andes, WOLA 9 a.m.

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This is a link to the Spotify profile of Colombian rap group ChocQuibTown, which features Carlos "Tostao" Valencia, Gloria "Goyo" Martínez, and her brother Miguel "Slow" Martínez.

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Rap folklórico palenquero represents the voice of the people, says Andris Padilla Julio, leader of the Afro-Colombian hip-hop group Kombilesa Mi. The crew rapidly switches between Spanish and another language - but it is not English, the international language of hip-hop.

The other language is Palenquero, one of the two creole languages native to Colombia. There are 68 indigenous languages in the country, and many of them are under threat of going extinct from "pressure to assimilate" or Colombia's long-running internal conflict with drug cartels and paramilitary forces.

Palenquero traces its linguistic roots to the Bantu language family native to sub-Saharan Africa, and includes influence from several romance languages as well. It is centuries old, and hip-hop might help it survive further into the 21st Century.

"At one point, Palenquero was considered poorly spoken Spanish, and because of that, people felt bad and decided not to speak it," says Padilla Julio, who goes by the name Afro Netto. A grassroots revival in the latter half of the 20th Century sought to fight these negative stereotypes while at the same time re-establishing the language among the town's roughly 3,500 inhabitants.

Similarly, Kombilesa Mi places an emphasis on language and identity through its music, partly making Palenquero words and phrases accessible to audiences. "If we want people to learn how to say goodbye, we do it by singing, adding some rhythm, and people enjoy that," says Padilla Julia. This common didactic approach also explains why, for Padilla Julio, hip-hop is such a natural foundation for a rap version of folklórico palenquero: "With hip-hop, people can dance but they also listen, and since I'm interested in delivering a message... hip-hop allows me to do that and that's why I love it."

Adapting the rhythmic elements of hip-hop to traditional Palenque music and instruments cements it into the community. Though ultimately, it is hip-hop's legacy as a form of social protest that gives rap folklórico palenquero its sense of immediacy. "People see in us [Kombilesa Mi] that courage, that voice of support, that voice of protest, struggle," adds Padilla Julio. "And the way that we're using hip-hop, we're not just protesting, but making ourselves stronger, too." This is important given both the social context and history of San Basilio de Palenque, a town of 3500 people at the base of the Montes de María and the home of Kombilesa Mi.

Kombilesa Mi ("my friends" in Palenquero) was formed in 2011 and boasts nine members. The group released their debut album Así es Palenque in 2016, recording in San Basilio de Palenque's first and only music studio. Along the way, they've forged relationships with Afro-Colombian groups doing similar work in other cities across Colombia, such as Rostros Urbanos in Buenaventura and Son Batá in Medellín. Kombilesa Mi also has a strong presence, says Padilla Julio, among the Palenque diaspora in the capital Bogotá. In addition, the group has toured abroad, establishing rap folklórico palenquero not just as a musical genre, but a broader social movement connecting past to present for audiences both inside and outside Palenque.

For centuries, San Basilio de Palenque has been a symbol of resistance, one that shines through in its language, culture, and identity. The small town is known historically as the first free settlement in the Americas; escaped African slaves bound for Colombian plantations settled the town in the 17th Century and were granted their freedom in perpetuity in the 18th Century after nearly a century of fighting Spanish colonialists. It's the only settlement of its kind that survives into the present.

As a result, In 2005, Unesco recognised San Basilio de Palenque by adding it to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Kombilesa Mi have dedicated themselves to preserving this legacy, in the same way it was passed on to the group's members. "That's what our teachers used to tell us, that Palenque culture goes from generation to generation," says Padilla Julio.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, for example, workshops on language, hairstyling, and community identity are held. On the remaining weekdays, the groups offers music and dance classes. "We do this so that the kids can grow up with a solid identity," says Guillermo Camacho, manager of Kombilesa Mi. "Our work is to strengthen Palenquero identity through music and language has always been an element that's allowed us to strengthen our community." The group also works on community murals, which often feature phrases in Palenquero.

Rap folklórico palenquero is at the heart of these initiatives. As such, hip-hop has been embraced into the community in a big way, especially among the youth, says Padilla Julio. This, he explains, is a byproduct of its fusion with Palenque culture and tradition rather than prior attempts to imitate hip-hop from other countries, such as Venezuela, Cuba, or the United States. Above all, rap folklórico palenquero has helped the community learn that hip-hop is a genre that encourages its listeners to "raise your voice and protest".

For Camacho, this ability to question the status quo resonates with the lives of Palenque speakers, from poor water and electric systems to cultural appropriation. "What does it mean to be free when you don't have access to education, to healthcare, to good jobs?" he asks. "What does freedom mean when they discriminate against you because of the colour of your skin?"

Though longstanding, these systemic issues - to an extent - are magnified following the 2016 peace accords, which ended a 52-year insurgency by guerrilla rebels from the left-wing Farc. "The problem isn't just the guerrilla," says Camacho. There are other forms of violence wrought against the community, racism and discrimination notwithstanding. Camacho adds that the ongoing murder of social activists and leaders in Afro and Indigenous communities - hundreds since the 2016 deal - is nothing new. "It's better to take away our path, because we are awakening other communities, other leaders," says Padilla Julio. That is why music has become such a powerful tool.

Kombilesa Mi are currently preparing for the release of their second album, entitled Esa Palenquera. A celebration of women and their contributions to Palenque, the album was recorded in the mountains of Minca, at the studio of producer Cristián Castaño.

The change of scenery coincided with an overall shift to a more organic sound. There are no guitars, nor digital instruments, just rap folklórico palenquero in its purest form, with tracks named for traditional dances such as Mapalé and Pica Pica, or a popular traditional beverage in the case of Ñeque. Others, such as No Más Siscriminación, carry an explicit social message. Los Peinados, in turn, takes a didactic approach, instructing the listener on the history of routes braided into the hair of escaped slaves, with a reference to Los Montes de María where the first palenque settlements were established.

In the end, each of these kinds of tracks fulfills the purpose of rap folklórico palenquero. "This is what the town's residents have been looking for a long time," says Padilla Julio, "a way for the younger generation to guarantee, in part, the future of San Basilio de Palenque's traditions."

More on BBC Music's greatest hip-hop songs of all time:
The 25 greatest hip-hop songs of all time
What critics had to say about the top 10
Full list of critics who participated - and how they voted
Trends and surprises in the poll ( not available in UK)
Why are there so few women in hip-hop polls?
Playlist of the top 25 songs ( Spotify)

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How hip-hop is saving a dying Colombian language

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In Colombia's historic town of San Basilio de Palenque, hip-hop is helping resurrect a local language in danger of dying out.

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oja was 16 when she had her hip-hop epiphany. "I was already rapping," says Roja, the MC from Quito, Ecuador, whose real name is Mariela Salgado. "I was part of a Quito crew, Zantalianza, where I'd always felt included. I'd been writing poetry since I was 13, so when I found hip-hop, it felt perfect." But as she watched the improvisation battles unfold, it dawned on her that there wasn't a single woman involved.

"I started to register some of the rhymes they were trading: insults based on having sex with the opponent's mother, sister, aunt; or calling each other by the names of women's sexual organs. It was bizarre: they were managing to totally objectify women, and at the same time make us invisible." Roja, now 28, is one half of the female hip-hop duo Rima Roja en Venus. "When you start out as a rap freestyler, the first thing that happens is they try to shut you up," she says.

Guatemala City rapper Rebeca Lane has a similar experience of the Latin American hip-hop scene. In her 2012 song "Bandera Negra" ("Black Flag") she takes a swipe at Latino MCs who use misogynist and homophobic language to insult one another, or who make puerile boasts about their huevos (eggs, meaning balls): "I've got a million eggs in each ovary. That doesn't make me any more of a woman, or you less of a man," raps Lane. "The level of gender violence in freestyle rhyming battles, and in mainstream rap, can be horrific," she adds.

Lane and Roja are part of a new generation of Latin American female MCs whose lyrics touch on some of the issues facing the region's women - and celebrate the resilience and sheer huevos it takes to exist as a woman at all. The issues in question include a deep-rooted lack of equality; inadequate access to healthcare, sex education, contraception and abortion; human trafficking; domestic and public violence, rape and femicide. In Brazil, 15 women are killed each day, according to President Dilma Rousseff. In Argentina, the death in May of Chiara Páez, a pregnant 14-year-old murdered by her boyfriend, allegedly with the help of his mother and stepfather, sparked a nationwide protest movement, #NiUnaMenos ("not one less"), in which thousands took to the streets.

United we stand: the women in the 2013, all-Ecuadorian version of the hip-hop collective, Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop.

"We all come from a very machista culture," says the Mexican MC Audry Funk, who together with Roja and Lane is part of the all-female, trans-Latin-American collective Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop (We Are Women, We Are Hip-Hop). Funk, already a member of a women's hip-hop collective in Mexico, Mujeres Trabajando (Women At Work), met Roja in 2013, when they both performed at a concert held in New York by the Brooklyn hip-hop-and-tattoo crew, Har'd Life Ink. Later that year, when Roja organised the first Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop festival in Quito, along with Venus Castillo, the other half of Rima Roja en Venus, they invited Funk to come and take part.

Since then, the collective has expanded to include women from 10 different countries, and, in April, released a mixtape " Latinoamérica Unida ", on Soundcloud. The compilation's 12 tracks pulse with attitude and skill, in styles ranging from the melodic beauty of Chile's Dania Neko to the harsh, guttural flow of the Colombian MC Jana. "Kutipakuy", a song by Peru's Sipas Crew, a trio of MCs from Portada de Manchay I, Lima, is one of the most arresting tracks, with Quechua words peppering lyrics underpinned by a hypnotic charango beat.

Following in the footsteps of pioneers like Argentina's Actitud María Marta, a socially conscious hip-hop group formed in the 90s, this emerging generation of female MCs is less interested in fame and fortune than it is in empowerment, collaboration and education. "I'm not aspiring to be a rap star," says Roja. Although there's no shortage of highly commercialised versions of the genre in Latin America, says Lane, there's also an underground hip-hop scene and it's thriving.

Take Guatemala, she says, still one of the most violent countries in the world, despite the 1996 peace agreements that ended the country's 36-year, genocidal civil war. Lane's aunt disappeared in 1981, one of 200,000 Guatemalans killed during almost four decades of bloodshed. "We've had peace accords in Guatemala," says Lane, "but we've never had any peace, or justice." The hip-hop scene, she says, has played a healing role for some of the postwar generation: "It gives young people ways of organising beyond armed conflict, beyond military or gang violence." Hip-hop itself was born in a similar atmosphere, Lane notes, "in the Bronx in the 1970s, once the gang wars had subsided."

Rebeca Lane from Guatemala City: 'Hip-hop gives young people ways of organising beyond armed conflict, beyond military or gang violence.' Photograph: Paula Morales

For the women in Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop, music also offers a chance to link up beyond borders. The collective's members are from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. For the mixtape's final track, the rousing "Latinoamérica Unida", each MC or group has contributed an eight-bar segment; and the accompanying music video, made of clips filmed individually and then spliced together, creates a snapshot of a scene that spans much of the Americas. In a skatepark in Quito, pink-haired MC Venus spits rhymes, turning her head to show a jaguar tattooed over one ear. Late-afternoon sun streaks across a rooftop in Puebla, Mexico, as Audry Funk picks up the beat; and in downtown Caracas, Anarkia Ruiz climbs a statue of Simón Bolívar to perform her part.

The group is working on plans for a second festival, to be held in Quito in early 2016. For the accompanying mixtape, the women are working in long-distance collaborations this time, in duos formed by names drawn at random from a hat. The method underlines the need for women to collaborate in pursuit of a common cause, says Audry Funk. "We're not interested in excluding people," she says. "We have to be able to work together - to leave our comfort zones and focus on our common ground, and also on our common problems."

And there are plenty of those. Femicide reaches frightening levels in Latin America, which contains half of the 25 countries with the highest rates internationally. In a chilling reminder of the fear of sexual violence with which women and girls coexist daily, on 27 May, four Brazilian girls from the state of Piauí climbed a picturesque hill to take a few selfies, and were brutally attacked by a fugitive criminal and four teenage boys. The young friends, aged 15 to 17, were raped, then bound, thrown into a canyon and left for dead. Meanwhile in Paraguay, a 10-year-old rape victim, now eight months pregnant at 11, has been denied an abortion despite her mother's pleas.

Perhaps surprisingly, despite their many shared values and concerns, there is a lack of unanimity within Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop on the subject of abortion. While Audry Funk, like Rebeca Lane, is in favour of the right to abortion - "It's an aberration for a woman not to have autonomy over her own body" - Roja is unequivocally against it, in all cases except for rape. Education, including on contraception, she says, is the answer. But in the absence of access to effective sex education, in situations compounded by poverty, gender inequality and violence, must women and girls simply pay the price with unwanted pregnancies? "As women, we're all responsible for the choices we make," says Roja. "I'll always embrace the right to life, but everyone has the liberty to think and say what they believe."

Two of a kind: rap duo Rima Roja en Venus. Photograph: Daniel Cruz

It's not the only instance in which the collective accommodates diverse views. Rebeca Lane identifies as a lesbian, a feminist, and a "trans-anarchist rapper", but few of the other women in Somos Mujeres, she says, identify overtly as feminists. There's a stigma associated with the term, she says, that's particularly powerful in Latin America: "Women are wary of using the word 'feminist'," she says. "There's a perception that it's all about man-hating - that it's about lesbians, witches and locas [crazy women]."

Funk and Roja both moved to the USA a year ago - to New York and New Jersey, respectively. The experience of living so far from home, says Roja, has been tough: "I miss my family a lot. It's been hard to adjust to being so far away." But professionally, she says, it has given her new avenues to explore. "In Quito, we play shows almost every weekend." The New York Latino hip-hop scene is much smaller than Quito's scene, and the slower pace has given her a chance to step back and take a breath.

For Funk, who lives in the Bronx with her husband, also a hip-hop MC, coming to live so close to the genre's legendary source after more than a decade in hip-hop was an unforgettable experience. "It's been fascinating," she says. "I've met some incredible people in New York." She talks animatedly about the classic graffiti she has seen and hip-hop meet-ups she has been to; and yet once she started to understand the current scene, she says, she found herself feeling disappointed.

"US hip-hop seems to have lost the social role it once had," says Funk. "But I heard something the other day that made me laugh out loud," she says. "'Hip-hop isn't dead - it's just been learning Spanish'."

This article was amended on 9 August 2015. An earlier version said Sipas Crew were from Pachacámac. This has been corrected.

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How Latin American women are changing hip-hop

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oja was 16 when she had her hip-hop epiphany. "I was already rapping," says Roja, the MC from Quito, Ecuador, whose real name is Mariela Salgado. "I was part of a Quito crew, Zantalianza, where I'd always felt included. I'd been writing poetry since I was 13, so when I found hip-hop, it felt perfect."

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There are memes that inspire a couple of chuckles, and then there are memes that manage to capture a cultural zeitgeist and alter the course of your life. That's the case for Maluma Feminista, a meme page started by 22-year-old Elena from Veracruz, Mexico, who chose to only be identified by her first name.

Maluma Feminista reimagines the Colombian reggaeton star's lyrics with cutting feminist wit. Ranging from brilliant commentary on consent to the destruction of the heteropatriarchy, Elena draws on a growing community of meme makers who center feminism in their work, often with intellectual and wonderfully weird humor. "It's subversive because we consider machismo to be 'normal.' Not only in music, but in every cultural sphere. I'm taking an image that represents this normalized machista world, and I'm giving it a contradictory new meaning, so that my friends and I can enjoy it more," Elena tells Remezcla over email.

In an interview with Verne, Elena explains that she was inspired by now-famous pages like Feminist Ryan Gosling, which imposed scholarly quotes from academics like Judith Butler onto images of the actor. Like so many of us who come from Latino households, Elena says she learned about feminism from her mother, and pop culture staples like Rookie Magazine and Ru Paul's Drag Race. "My mom raised me in a feminist way, even though she'd never use that term...I started calling myself a feminist about three years ago, when I learned more about what it really was, and I accepted I was queer about a year ago. I really appreciate feminism that takes new forms to reach new people without losing its essence; that's why I'm a Ru Paul's Drag Race fan. I think the fact that it's pop doesn't mean it's not revolutionary."

Maluma has been the center of controversy for misogynistic lyrics in the past; last December, a fan from Spain started a Change.org petition to demand the song "Cuatro Babys" be removed from digital platforms, claiming it incites "direct violence towards women." Maluma has typically been grouped into the radio-friendly category of pop-reggaeton, given his more romantic lyrics. Hits like "Felices Los 4" hint at a more progressive turn for the singer, with themes that center consent and non-monogamy (to quote my mami's thoughts on the song, "que filosofía tan liberada.").

Elena's page has grown exponentially this week, shooting from 6,000 Facebook followers on Monday, September 11 to just over 26,000 at the time of publication. She has plans to expand the project, with an upcoming Big Cartel store launch. "I'd love to compile the memes into a book or zine. I'm making T-shirts and looking for a place in Mexico City to throw a feminist perreo party, an inclusive, queer-friendly, harassment-free space where you can dress however you want and dance to reggaeton," she adds.

On the tangled politics of reggaeton history, which often erase women's agency, Elena says, "In reggaeton, we're usually sex objects. But we can change that and recognize ourselves as sexual subjects. When I dance, I do that. I'm taking up space to express my sexuality in a way that satisfies me, in a world that teaches us to take up the least amount of space possible and please others...I believe in feminism that empowers women, men, and everyone in the middle to make their own decisions and enjoy their bodies without abusing anyone," she says. Preach.

Feast your eyes on our favorite memes from the account below, and be sure to follow the page on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Editor's note: This piece has been updated to include quotes from Elena, the founder of Maluma Feminista.

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Meet the 22-Year-Old From Veracruz Flipping Maluma Lyrics Into Dank Feminist Memes

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There are memes that inspire a couple of chuckles, and then there are memes that manage to capture a cultural zeitgeist and alter the course of your life. That's the case for Maluma Feminista, a meme page started by 22-year-old Elena from Veracruz, Mexico, who chose to only be identified by her first name.

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Shakira is one of the most well-known and influential Colombian musicians ever

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Adriana, Estefania, and Sara make up La Siembra, a rap group dedicated to promoting social change. They want to make the violence that young girls and women face in Colombia known and urge people to reject it.

However, their efforts have not always been supported, as 24-year-old singer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist Estefania told us.

The genre is still led by men and many of us are not taken seriously.

"Being women of different generations and doing rap has not been easy. The genre is still led by men and many of us are not taken seriously. However, those who see us singing love and support us."

She is confident in the power of speaking out about the issues she is passionate about and becoming a leading figure in her community.

"Our feminist and activist lyrics cause surprise and break long-standing stereotypes. We feel that in many different spaces leadership is exercised with masculine strength, even in female environments, but we have also met women who have fought against any type of stereotype and are today building a leadership forged in struggle, union and of course, in sisterhood."

Taking the lead: tackling toxic masculinity

It is vital that girls and women take the lead, so their unique needs are taken seriously. Our latest report, Taking the Lead: girls and young women on changing the face of leadership, found that 62% of the 10,000 girls and young women interviewed were confident in their abilities to lead. However, 9 out of 10 of them believe women leaders will suffer discrimination and harassment.

La Siembra believe in the strength and power of women across the generations to create change in their communities and countries.

"When women take formal and informal spaces to make our struggle visible, we have the ability to recognise the greatness of others: we are informed, organised and focused on our task. We are trailblazers, striving each day to win the fight for true equality."

Three generations working towards equality

Not only do La Siembra perform concerts, they also hold workshops.

"We encourage other girls to rebuild and weave the bonds between women," says Estefania who is also a teacher. She strongly believes that the key to breaking down inequality is through co-operation and creating a collective power. At the workshops she provides girls and young women with the artistic tools to support and learn from each other in the name of sisterhood.

"We meet as a group to learn, inform and support each other in a spirit of sisterhood. Everyone is our sister and our ally."

Everyone is our sister and ally.

Adriana is mother to Estefania and Sara. She is a 49-year-old with a love for singing and playing the piano. She faces a daily struggle fighting the 'machismo' (toxic masculinity) within her family home. Through La Siembra she continues to encourage young girls and women to raise their voices and fight for their rights.

At 11-years-old Sara is the youngest in the group and is very direct when it comes to her activism. She encourages everyone to understand girls' rights.

La Siembra are not afraid to use their talents as rappers to fight for equality.

"There are still spaces where people do not want to hear our voices. But, every day we grow. We are united fighters who together will show the world the truth about the importance of equality."

Changing the face of leadership

To learn more about girls' and women's leadership ambitions and how they are redefining what it means to be powerful, read our latest report.
Read the report: taking the lead

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La Siembra: the family tackling toxic masculinity through rap

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Adriana, Estefania, and Sara make up La Siembra, a rap group dedicated to promoting social change. They want to make the violence that young girls and women face in Colombia known and urge people to reject it. However, their efforts have not always been supported, as 24-year-old singer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist Estefania told us.

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"The project is to empower 240 girls and young women. The participants are engaged in different workshop processes using expressions of rap, break dance, dance hall, and dance afro/theater, different female leaders teach them."

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EM-Powerful Women with Hip-Hop on GlobalGiving

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Powerful Women with Hip-Hop is a project carried out in Bogota, Colombia. The project is to empower 240 girls and young women. The participants are engaged in different workshop processes using expressions of rap, break dance, dance hall, and dance afro/theater, different female leaders teach them.

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The Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop project 

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The Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop project 

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Say hello to the greatest idea in the history of great ideas. National Women's History Month comes to an end today (an expansion of International Women's Day) and what better way to close out the month than with a compilation of Latina raperas! The "Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop" project/collective recently released Latinamérica Unida, an album featuring various women rappers from the Americas rapping/rhyming socially-conscious verses across 12 tracks.

Nakury Del Patio (Costa Rica), Vaio Flow (Argentina), Rima Roja En Venus (Ecuador), Dania Neko (Chile), Audry Funk (Mexico), MC Jana (Colombia), Nina Uma (Bolivia), Anarkia Ruiz (Venezuela), Lenys Merkdo (Colombia), Rebeca Lane (Guatemala), Sipas Crew (Peru), and the Somos Mujeres Somos Hip Hop Latinoamérica crew (various) feature on the album in their musical fight against prejudice, violence, and sexism.

Listen to the album on soundcloud and download it here.

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"Somos Mujeres Somos Hip-Hop" Compilation Features Female MCs from All Over the Americas

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Say hello to the greatest idea in the history of great ideas. National Women's History Month comes to an end today (an expansion of International Women's Day) and what better way to close out the month than with a compilation of Latina raperas!

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This article talks about a group of Colombian women using conscious rap for narrativization and getting their voices heard.

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The Yepes women (L to R): Sofia, Flor, the Granny Rapper, the Mommy Rapper, and Melany in their home in Barrio Pablo Escobar. Photo by Angelika Albaladejo.

Medellín-Margoth Yepes has a rapper persona as fiery as the red shock of hair that spills down her shoulder. Since she started spitting rhymes seven years ago, the 45-year-old mother of two has been better known among family, friends, and neighbors as La Mamá Rapera (the "Mommy Rapper").

When Yepes took on the moniker in 2011, her family and community had been grappling with gang violence in their hillside slum in Colombia's second-largest city Medellín, where turf wars had taken root in the years following the most infamous urban military operation of the country's five-decade conflict. Yepes' family managed to survive the displacement and other traumas that had left hundreds of their neighbors injured, killed, or disappeared. Then, her teenage son began losing friends to gang rivalries, and he was contemplating revenge. What they needed was "a form of resistance."
'Conscious rap'
The Yepes family call their style "conscious rap," which they describe as a tool for all disadvantaged Colombians to share their lived experiences, raise awareness of the issues facing their community and suggest alternatives. Their songs range from empowering anthems for women's rights to reflections on the conflict.

Although hip-hop used to have a bad rap in Medellín's marginalized neighborhoods, perceptions had shifted in recent years as local rappers began to work with young people, encouraging them to stay away from gangs and take action in their communities. Luis Fernando Álvarez, who goes by the rapper name A.K.A., stood out among the emerging leaders. As the founder of what he calls an " agrarian hip-hop collective," Álvarez looks just as comfortable tending the soil as he does laying down tracks in the studio with his signature style of baggy jeans, big earrings, and a bandana draped across his head. When they met seven years ago, Yepes was intrigued by A.K.A.'s style and started taking her son to spend time with the collective, which was later dubbed "AgroArte." A.K.A. was outspoken about the injustices of the conflict, as well as the gangs now battling for control, which inevitably led to death threats and his displacement. "But the movement got stronger," Yepes says. "Now there was resistance. We realized we were doing something good with the kids. So, I started to support them."

Soon after, she introduced her nephew to the collective. Then, her mother, daughter, sister, and nieces all joined too. Yepes' sister Flor Yepes Ramírez, who has seven children of her own, joined with her daughters 15-year-old Sofia and nine-year-old Ana, who perform with their aunt and 12-year-old cousin Melany. "I wasn't just a mom anymore," says the Mommy Rapper. "I was a mother who did things, who tried to help the kids reflect and gain strength. I was trying to change their minds about what a mom is or what rap is."

"Our pain and what happened to us made us think in a stronger way and decide to change things," says Yepes' sister Flor Yepes Ramírez.
The pain of displacement
During the height of Colombia's conflict, Flor and Margoth's mother-who is also named Margoth but is affectionately known as La Abuela Rapera (the "Granny Rapper")-lost her right leg to a landmine, forcing her out of the rural mountainside and into the city. There, her family survived the atrocities of Operation Orion, Colombia's largest urban military intervention, only to have their lives threatened again by paramilitaries and by drug traffickers, whom the Yepes sisters say are the direct descendants of Escobar's Medellín Cartel.

The first time Flor and her children were displaced, they were living on an "invisible border" delineating the territorial control of rival gangs. "The gang in that area came and told me my two oldest sons were of age to pick up arms. I said, 'I'm sorry, but I'm the mom here. I'm the one in charge of this household and my sons won't be picking up any arms. So, no,'" she recalls. She'd succeeded in keeping her sons out of the gang. They lived. But a barrage of death threats forced them to flee.

Flor and Margoth's family has been displaced several more times since then, due in large part to their outspoken role in the community and their refusal to allow their children to be recruited into gangs. The pain of displacement dominates their lyrics and has haunted them for decades.
Taking root somewhere new
Now, the extended family of 14 lives together in a compact brick house in Pablo Escobar's namesake neighborhood. Although the sisters say they've found it particularly difficult "starting from zero," they've decided to channel their "frustrations, rage, and powerlessness" into transforming their new home. Over the last five months, the family has created a new identity: oriundas ("natives"), an ironic nod to their displacement and that of many of their neighbors. "The idea is that no matter where we go, we're going to plant our seed, our essence, and value the place," says the Mommy Rapper.

In their new neighborhood, the Yepes family has already attracted more than a dozen young people, with ambitions to reach "the whole nuclear family" and build community. The Granny Rapper, who describes herself as "respect, love, advice," remains a draw for community members, young and old, who seek counseling and help writing rap lyrics. She remains firm in her belief that young people hold Colombia's future in their hands and that community action will turn peace-minded youths into leaders. "They kill leaders every day. It makes your heart hurt," she says through tears. "They are giving their lives. But we have to do it."

On a recent tour of her old neighborhood, the Mommy Rapper guided a group of youths past flourishing gardens, vibrant murals and the purple house where the Yepes family used to gather with their collective. The kids' eyes lit up, she says, with dreams of transforming their own community.

Through their persistence, the Yepes family hopes that the image and reality of Medellín will evolve away from its violent reputation, "to show children that we can have a different city."

More articles by Category:Feminism,International,Violence against women
More articles by Tag:Colombia,Conflict,Gang violence

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Three generations of Colombian women rap to transform Medellín - Women's Media Center

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Medellín-Margoth Yepes has a rapper persona as fiery as the red shock of hair that spills down her shoulder. Since she started spitting rhymes seven years ago, the 45-year-old mother of two has been better known among family, friends, and neighbors as La Mamá Rapera (the "Mommy Rapper").

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rap hiphop nach "falsa alarma.lavarinto" "junnior riuz" "mc kno" medellin colobia chacal jana alkaman

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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A video of Colombian rapper, Diana Avella rapping back in 2010

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"Can you imagine a society in which women have no voice?" - Shhorai

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"Can you imagine a society in which women have no voice?" - Shhorai

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An article and interview with Shhorai by Ryan McChrystal

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Art has traditionally accompanied political and social movements in Latin America and the turn of the 21st century has seen a resurgence of diverse forms of expression, including hip hop.

"Hip hop has many faces - from the underground scenes to gangster rap - and it allows you to talk about many different things," says Colombian rapper Luisa Ospina, aka Shhorai. "Many artists may talk about 'bitches', drugs and violence, and that's fine for them, but it's not for me, especially given the history of violence and conflict in my country."

Shhorai, an independent hip-hop artist, educator and activist from Colombia's second-largest city, Medellín, began rapping in 2003 at the age of 13.

"I started recording music at my home studio at 15, influenced by my older brother who is also a rapper," Shhorai says. She released her debut album Verdades Hostiles in 2011, followed by Doble X: Inicio y Complemento in 2015. She has worked in collaboration with various Colombian artists, including Nkanto MC and Koriotto.

Taking inspiration from female MCs throughout the Americas - from Columbian duo Diana Avella and Lucía Vargas and Venezuala's Gabylonia to Queen Latifah, famed for fighting misogyny in US hip hop - Shhorai uses her music to explore the structures of gender and class which create disadvantages for so many Colombians. Despite the progress her country has made in the last few decades, many problems remain unresolved. "Women in particular in my country have poor access to decent jobs and education and too many sisters have been affected by violence," Shhorai said.

"For indigenous women and women who work on the land, it is even worse: they work so hard but are still silent. Can you imagine a society in which so many women have no voice?"

"I was born in a culture which is all the time asking women: 'Why don't you wear makeup?' 'Why are you so big?' 'Why do you eat this?'," she says. "So I rap a lot about empowering women and becoming more independent because often we don't trust ourselves or know the inner power we have."

For every 10 men in hip hop, there is only one woman, explains Shhorai. "So we are naturally at a disadvantage and often feel alone, so we have to work together," she says. "And while I love feminism, I don't like hate for men because I recognise that we are together and must fight together."

Many women - as with many men - in hip hop, come from poor communities, not just in Medellín, but in Colombia's capital Bogota and other cities like Cali.

There are many sides to Medellín. Foreigners may know it for its troubled history - Pablo Escobar, cocaine and the violence that accompanied them. Other visitors may be more aware of its current status as one of the foremost and growing art and cultural hubs on the planet. The city came out on top of Tel Aviv and New York and was named the world's most innovative city in 2013.

"Medellín has become a much better city than it was 20 years ago - with many restaurants, a metro system, concerts all the time - but many still don't see how hard it still is for many people who live here - those who don't have the resources to go to university, or for the young people who have to fight against a system just to own something," Shhorai explains. "The city has two very different faces."

Poor communities and minorities like indigenous people "don't have options" and often don't have a say. "I want the world to pay more attention to the poverty because the rich downtown doesn't need more publicity - it has enough," Shhorai says.

This is what the rapper aims for in much of her work - whether in music, education or activism - when she talks about the political background and social conditions in her neighbourhood. "In this way, hip hop is for me a kind of liberty and at the same time an expression of love for my community."

One of the big problems in Colombian society is how in many ways it has turned a blind eye to the problems faced by women and the poor alike. A byproduct of this, inevitably, is marginalised people turning to hip hop and hip-hop culture - from breakdancing, DJing, MCing and graffiti - as places where they can finally be heard.

"Hip hop was born in poor communities in the USA often by those living terrible conditions and I can see they discovered a way of getting together and doing something as a community," says Shhorai. "This idea filtered back to us in Latin America and we got into hip hop for many of those same reasons, which is why rap music is everywhere in Medellín."

"But above all, hip hop is an opportunity to be independent, and while it's difficult, it is possible to create real change through art."
Also read:
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8-9 July: The power of hip hop

A conference followed by a day of performance to consider hip hop's role in revolutionary social, political and economic movements across the world.

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Colombian rapper Shhorai: "Can you imagine a society in which women have no voice?" - Index on Censorship

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Art has traditionally accompanied political and social movements in Latin America and the turn of the 21st century has seen a resurgence of diverse forms of expression, including hip hop. "Hip hop has many faces - from the underground scenes to gangster rap - and it allows you to talk about many different things," says Colombian rapper Luisa Ospina, aka Shhorai.

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Farina is a Colombian rapper and a trailblazers in the Colombian reggaeton scene

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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This is the Twitter profile of the Colombian female rapper Lenys Merkdo

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This is a music video for one of ChocQuibTown's songs that accumulated more than 70 million views!

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ChocQuibTown - Nuqui (Te Quiero Para Mi) [Official Video]

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This is a freestyle Farina posted in August of 2019

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This is one of Lenys Merkdo's music videos

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Lenys Merkdo - Mi Tiempo (Video Official Hd)

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Shhorai is a small Colombian rapper who is on Facebook, Soundcloud, and Twitter.

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Listen to Shhorai Rap | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

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Goyo on her addition to Spotify’s Colombian Influential Voices Playlist

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Goyo on her addition to Spotify’s Colombian Influential Voices Playlist

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Soy la portada de EQUAL EL PLAYLIST de Nosotras en 
Spotify. Me  seleccionaron por ser  una de las voces más importantes e influyentes en mi país, Gracias Colombia!
 @spotify @spotifylatam #equal #dalesplaydalespower @santyche @laurainthemusic @maykolsanchez

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Soy la portada de EQUAL EL PLAYLIST de Nosotras en 
Spotify. Me  seleccionaron por ser  una de las voces más importantes e influyentes en mi país, Gracias Colombia!
 @spotify @spotifylatam #equal #dalesplaydalespower @santyche @laurainthemusic @maykolsanchez https://t.co/AQP4xGFZfx

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Soy la portada de EQUAL EL PLAYLIST de Nosotras en
Spotify. Me seleccionaron por ser una de las voces más importantes e influyentes en mi país, Gracias Colombia!
@spotify @spotifylatam #equal #dalesplaydalespower @santyche @laurainthemusic @maykolsanchez pic.twitter.com/AQP4xGFZfx
— Goyo 👑🖤✊🏾 (@GOYOCQT) November 9, 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Soy la portada de EQUAL EL PLAYLIST de Nosotras en 
Spotify. Me  seleccionaron por ser  una de las voces más importantes e influyentes en mi país, Gracias Colombia!
 @spotify @spotifylatam #equal #dalesplaydalespower @santyche @laurainthemusic @maykolsanchez https://t.co/AQP4xGFZfx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Soy la portada de EQUAL EL PLAYLIST de Nosotras en 
Spotify. Me  seleccionaron por ser  una de las voces más importantes e influyentes en mi país, Gracias Colombia!
 @spotify @spotifylatam #equal #dalesplaydalespower @santyche @laurainthemusic @maykolsanchez https://t.co/AQP4xGFZfx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Soy la portada de EQUAL EL PLAYLIST de Nosotras en 
Spotify. Me  seleccionaron por ser  una de las voces más importantes e influyentes en mi país, Gracias Colombia!
 @spotify @spotifylatam #equal #dalesplaydalespower @santyche @laurainthemusic @maykolsanchez

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Jay Z Signed A Buzzing Colombian Female Rapper With Help From Romeo Santos - AllHipHop