Africa meets South America: Discover music and culture in Cartagena!

Africa meets South America: Discover music and culture in Cartagena!

Cartagena, Kolumbien - On June 10, 2025, the program "Spursing Search" on Bayern 2 at 11:03 p.m. is broadcast and is devoted to the fascinating topic "Africa in South America". The listeners: Inside, a journey awaits various cultural hotspots that explore the musical connections between these continents.

Moderator Jay Rutledge takes us on a tour of the pulsating favelas by Rio de Janeiro, the colorful Pacific coast of Colombia and the historic port city of Cartagena. There we will immerse yourself in the world of musical influences that Africa left in South America. You can hear various artists such as Astropical, who is considered a shooting star, and Papatinho, a radio overflower from Rio. Legends such as Abelardo Carbono, which has a significant impact on the champeta music, as well as the sounds of the traditional Marimba root music from the mangrove sumps.

musical roots in Colombia

The music scene in Cartagena has a rich story that is deeply rooted in African diaspora. As the Funambulist reports, the Picó sound system culture was created in the 1950s in the Colombian Caribbean area. Large street parties were organized here by working neighbors in Cartagena and Barranquilla, which quickly spread from the living room into larger common areas.

Some Picó parties were brought to life with loud sound systems and a colorful selection of music. Workers in particular took part in these events: inside and their families who gathered in a self -governed atmosphere. The special thing: Each Picó developed its own names, aesthetics and an exclusive repertoire, which made the competitions between the Picós particularly exciting, because it was also about the quality of the sound and the popularity of the songs.

the champeta and its cultural importance

champeta is a style of music that has developed from the Picó traditions and is closely linked to the Afro-Columbian identity. The music reflects the fight against social injustice and addresses current problems such as corruption and drug abuse. Despite the initial stigmatization as the music of the lower classes, Champeta has developed into a symbol of cultural resistance, especially among the people in Cartagena, where about 36.5 % of the population identify as Afrodescendments.

As can be read in the reports, UNESCO has highlighted the value of the Colombian cultural asset since the 2000s. Eight out of ten Colombian practices on their inheritance lists have a musical relationship. This has caused Champeta to learn national recognition and became part of the "New Colombian Music" movement, which includes many different styles of music.

The circles around Champeta and their representatives have repeatedly resisted the official detection of their culture. In 2016, a manifesto was initiated, the Champeta declared "Millennium's Erbe" - a step that further heated up the discussion about cultural identity, political representation and social justice in Colombia.

A look into the future

With the upcoming program on June 10th there is a great opportunity to learn more about the deep roots of the African music influences in South America and to celebrate the variety that results from these cultural encounters. Such initiatives are significant in order to put the cultural versatility and the challenges associated with it.

whether in the lively clubs Cartagena, the favelas of Rio or the cultural movements of all of Colombia-music is a key to identity and representation of the Afro-Columbian population and shows that despite all adverseities, resistance can be resisted.