Salsa music is identified as a Black music in Colombia because the first people to start making it there were Black people from the Pacific Coast. Pacific Coastal Afro-Colombians loved Afro-PR/Cuban music genres that became Salsa, and started their own local AfroColombian version
Peregoyo based out of Buenaventura was 1 of our pioneer groups. They mixed in our traditional Afro genres like Currulao into the music. Then Jairo Varela w/ Grupo Niche from Choco took this further. Grupo Niche is our most famous Salsa group. Niche is slang for Black in Colombia.
Jairo Varela put Black social and historical topics into his music, with songs like Etnia.
Alexis Lozano was also a co-founder of Grupo Niche who then went on to found another major AfroColombian Salsa group, Grupo Guayacan.
From Grupo Niche, there were spin off groups, of original members, like Son de Cali. This is one of my favorite songs by them 'Vengo' where they sing about Black pride, the Black municipalities they come from Puerto Tejada, Cauca, and Buenaventura, Valle.
"Vengo de Buenaventura, tierra de Negrura" ---I come from Buenaventura, land of Blackness! Buenaventura is the largest city on Colombia's predominantly African Pacific Coast.
The Pacific Coast is known for collective Black pride, even mixed-race ppl like Yuri Buenaventura have it. His song Herencia Africana
"We are African inheritance
Pride I have in my race" "Africa is the mother of my music
Africa is the queen of the flavor"
"We are African inheritance
Pride I have in my race" "Africa is the mother of my music
Africa is the queen of the flavor"
In 'Nostalgia Africana' Yuri sings about Africa being the birthplace of our race, from Africa to Colombia, about having Lucumi blood, Yemaya, Shango, etc.
The strongest AfroColombian Salsa musician on the Caribbean Coast was none other than Joe Arroyo. This song is played at every Caribbean Costeño party. He sings about the 1600s, slavery, & the defense of a Black woman by a Black man against the slave owner
No Le Pegue a La Negra = Don't hit the Black woman! It's a great story about African men standing up for African women.
Grupo Niche's Cielo de Tambores - Sky of Drums ...speaking of the African drums of our people. Yes, the African drums survived in AfroColombia, thankfully!
Our pioneer group, Peregoyo y su Combo Vacana sing a love song about our region, the beautiful African Pacific Coast of Colombia & Buenaventura VACANA is short for the 3 Southern Pacific Colombian departments - Valle, Cauca & Nariño
On the African Colombian Pacific Coast we eat chontaduro, a red/orange palm fruit, and it looks like it may be the same one or similar to the one Ghanaians and other West Africans use too. A lot of our songs are about chontaduro. Peregoyo sings
Niche’s ‘Han Cogido La Cosa’ covers racial discrimination & stereotypes faced by Black ppl in Colombia. E.g., running while black= criminal (while running as a white person=athlete), being rejected entry at nightclubs for being Black.
It is important you all know that these things occur in Colombia. Jairo Varela was a genius that he was able to put these social issues into a musical format. It is documented, so the world knows, wherever they hear Grupo Niche.
A lot of people don't know that Joe Arroyo's hit song Yamulemao, came originally from a Gambian Salsa singer, Laba Sosseh, and it was called Diamoule Mawo. Here is the original song
Since Caribbean Colombia loved African music, especially during Joe Arroyo's time, these Africa - AfroAmerica exchanges occurred. Joe Arroyo's Yamulemau
In Caribbean Colombia, AfroColombians could not understand what contemporary Africans were singing so they reinterpreted the songs how they could. Yamulemau is such a manifestation, because that word does not exist in Spanish, but that's what Joe heard when he heard Laba Sosseh!
In Caribbean Colombia, the word moreno/morena is often used for Black ppl. E.g., when I went to Palenque, a (unmixed) Black women was referred to as morena. In Tamarindo Seco, Joe proudly exclaims "Yo no soy de por aqui, soy de tierra morena"/I'm not from here I'm from Black land
The Cartagenero Joe Arroyo's Tamarindo Seco
Joe Arroyo also sang with a group called Fruko y sus Tesos for a while, which leads me to cover another AfroColombian Salsa singer who had a mega hit with this group by the name of none other than Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma, with the song 'El Preso'
Although Jairo Varela was a Chocoano, he had a lot of love, for the most populated city on the Pacific Coast, in the South, where Black people move with flava day in day out, none other than Buenaventura. "A ti mi Buenaventura con amor te lo dedicamos"
Now that we're in Buenaventura, I will show you another artist, a proud Porteño, child of Buenaventura, who also sang with Varela's Grupo Niche at one point in his career, now independent, Mr. Jimmy Saa! Ola de La Mar with imagery of #Buenaventura
As our people are joyous, you will see despite the discrimination Colombia pushes, we find happiness in our culture. This is a fun song about a guy who faked his death because he didn't want to pay back $ owed. Still in 'Tura 'Vos Me Debes / You Owe Me'
Here you have Javier Vásquez again in his Grupo Niche days. If you haven’t noticed AfroColombian Salsa mixes in traditional Afro rhythms. Varela mixed in traditional music from Choco in this hit, 'Canoa Rancha' & a beautiful Black woman dancing to it
So some say Cali (Colombia) is the Salsa capital of the world, but hear what this sista has to say on the matter!
So I haven't really gotten into the whole romantic Salsa scene, so Grupo Niche's competition, Guayacan, had this super hit, this one's for my momma! Te Amo Te Extraño (I Love You I Miss You)
And of course with Guayacan you have the Calenõs' proud anthem 'Oiga, Mire, Vea'. (Remember the sis spoke about Cali before the last Guayacan post)
See y'all these lyrics are embedded in our heads - an Afrocolombian anthem!
