Question being answered

“If all of the world´s cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was

contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country”

Created by: Camilo Alvarez MayaPurpose: Application MBA- IE10/16/2016

It’s hard to encapsulate Colombia’s cultural heritage because the country is very culturally diverse. Cities like Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla have very different traditions and customs.

The country´s cultural diversity is a direct result of three main factors: 1. The Colonization process, 2. Topography and 3. Climate

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Colombia was colonized during the 16th century by Spanish conquistadores. During this time the Europeans made first contact with Indigenous tribes that inhabited the country. As the colonization process expand inland, the Spanish started to bring African slaves to help them with arduous labor tasks.

During the exploration process, the Spanish established several commercial routes in order to extract gold and other riches from inland Colombia and take them back to Spain. During this process, and due to the complexity of the terrain, several isolated settlements were established, and this is how the first Colombian cities began to grow.

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Throughout the following centuries, the different isolated settlements around the country started to establish unique cultural traits. These traits were a direct result of the different cultural mix of Indigenous groups, slaves and Europeans; as well as the different economic activities that were established, depending on the climate and topography. This is why Colombian cuisine, music and dance are so different and diverse.

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However, despite all of the cultural differences, Colombian´s have one thing in common: a love of life and happiness that is present in our everyday lives. This is why – if I had to choose something to encapsulate Colombian culture – I would choose its most important fairs and carnivals.

Annually Colombians celebrate multiple carnivals and fairs. Each city has its own unique fair, where distinct cultural traits and traditions are featured. However, in every celebration, it’s common to see ordinary Colombians smiling because they are having a great time.

In the following slides, we are going to explore some of Colombia’s most important cultural celebrations.

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The Barranquilla Carnival

This carnival is Colombia's most important folkloric events. The celebration takes place every year in Barranquilla, for four days before Ash Wednesday. It is very representative of Colombian culture because its events, dances and music – like la Cumbia, el Garabato and El Mapalé, are a merger of Spanish, Indigenous and African traditions. This unique blend led to the creation of a Carnival like no other.

In 2003 the UNESCO declared the Carnival one of the Masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

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La Cumbia is one of Colombia´s most traditional musical and dance styles created in the colonial era. Its rhythm comes from black slaves, its main instruments, maracas and gaitas, come from the Indigenous people, while the choreography and costume from the Spanish.

El Mapalé is both a dance and a musical genre originally created by the African slaves living close to the Magdalena River shore. The dance represents an erotic courtship between a male and a female; the fast dance movements are intended to replicate the movement of a fish when it is removed from the water.

El Garabato is a traditional folkloric dance that originated in Barranquilla, where its members portray the differences between life and death. This dance is always accompanied by a music genre called Chandé.

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The Vallenato Legend FestivalThis is one of the most important music festivals in Colombia, featuring the country’s most popular folkloric music genre: el Vallenato. The festival, which is held every year in the month of April, was created in 1968 in the city of Valledupar.

El Vallenato has its roots in Spanish and west African rhythms; however its predominant sound comes from the accordion. Other important instruments include the Gaitaflute, a box drum and a scratchy-sounding guacharaca percussion instrument. The genre became very popular because most of its songs tell stories about ordinary people’s lives.

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The Bambuco Pageant and Folkloric Festival This festivity, which takes place every year in the city of Neiva during the months of June and July, features the Bambuco. The celebration was born as a Spanish tradition during the 18th century when locals celebrated obedience to the Spanish monarch and celebrated the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Bambuco is a traditional music genre, which shares many similarities to the European waltz. Sanjuanero is the most popular song representing the genre. In the beauty pageant, all the contestants need to dance Sanjuanero, and the best dancer is chosen as the winner.

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The fair is held every year in the second week of January in the city of Manizales; it features two main activities: the national coffee pageant and bull fighting. The celebration started in 1951 and was created to resemble the Sevilla (Spain) festival.

Manizales is located in the heart of the coffee region, and its economy and culture have been forged by this economic activity. During the pageant, the contestants visit traditional coffee plantations and explore one of the most traditional coffee regions in the world.

Bull fighting is a tradition brought to Colombia by the Spanish. The corridas are events where one or more bulls are fought by humans in a bull ring. This culture is very popular in Colombia.

The Manizales Fairs

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This event, which is held annually in Villavicencio, was created in 1960 along with the creation of the Department (State) of Meta. The fair centers on Joropo and features important elements of the Colombian eastern plains, like cowboys (llaneros) and horses.

Joropo is a traditional Colombian dance and musical genre. The dance resembles a waltz, where couples face each other and make small steps forwards and backwards. The music’s main instruments include the arpa llanera (harp) bandola (similar to a mandolin) cuatro (a small guitar) and maracas.

International Joropo Tournament

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The Cali FairThe fair is held every year in between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day in Cali, Colombia’s third largest city. In its origins the festivity resembled a Spanish bullfighting festival, with horse parades, ballroom dancing and beauty pageants. Now the event has evolved into a carnival – like event featuring salsa. Cali is known as the Colombian Salsa Capital, since it is heard and danced in every corner.

The fair’s main event is called Salsodromo, which is a mile – long carnival – like parade, where hundreds of dancers walk though downtown Cali, dancing salsa. Colombian salsa is a little different from other styles, since it is known to be faster and has a unique step (one step forward, one step backwards).

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The Black and White Carnival The carnival takes place every year in early January in the city of Pasto. The event is one of Colombia’s most famous festivities recognized by the UNESCO. The celebration was formally established in 1912, when several high – society men covered themselves with face powder and went through the streets yelling “¡qué vivan los negros, qué vivan los blancos!” However, its roots date back to Colonial times when African slaves rebelled against their master and declared a day of rest.

Today the carnival is a fun event filled with parades that celebrate Colombia’s multi-cultural diversity. The most popular parades are: the period costumes parade that taken place on January 4th, the Black Day parade on January 5th, when people cover themselves in black paint, and the White parade on January 6th, when people cover themselves with powder.

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The Flower Festival

The celebration is held every year, in the first days of August in Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia. The event, which was first organized in 1957, is representative of the value of the people of Antioquia (also known as Paisas). The fair features flowers, since the city is known as the City of Eternal Spring.

The Silletero Pageant is the festival’s main event; it consists of a parade of farmers carrying huge flower arrangements (silletas) on their backs. This event is symbolic since it demonstrates an old Paisa tradition from the early 20th century, when peasants from nearby towns would bring flowers into the city in wooden wagons.

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BOGOTA

Bogota is Colombia’s capital, and unlike the other regions, it doesn’t have a unique festivity or fair celebrating regional traditions. The reason for this is because since the early years, the capital has been a melting pot of different Colombian cultures, brought here by immigrants. Today Bogota is home to more than eight million inhabitants who live a modern urban life, and who have a taste for different types of celebrations and festivals. Two of the more popular celebrations held in the capital include The Ibero-American Theater festival and Stereo Picnic.

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The Ibero-American Theater Festival is the world’s largest theater festival held every two years. The event was founded in 1988 to celebrate the city´s 450 year anniversary; it was intended to be a cultural alternative that promoted theatrical diversity. In the 2016 edition, the event hosted 855 productions across more than 100 venues, with participants from all over the world.

Stereo Picnic is a modern musical festival held annually in Bogota. The event is a multi-day festival that resembles Lollapalooza and other European – style festivals. The goal of the Festival is to bring first – class artists to the country, to satisfy Colombians’ growing taste for new musical genres such as: alternative rock, indie music, punk rock, Reggae, electronic music and Hip Hop.

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