Portal de Cartagena
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She calls herself Toto the Momposina, but she is the cumbia.
His whole life has been dedicated to the musical manifestation of the Caribbean coast of Colombia, as a singer, dancer and teacher of the musical culture of that fertile place, where African, indigenous and Spanish cultures mix.
For this reason, the festival La Mar de Músicas de Cartagena (Spain) awards its prize in this edition.
Prize that will be delivered on Monday, July 23, when the Momposina will offer a concert produced exclusively for the festival and which will have as invited artists the Guinean Djanka Diabate and the Tibetan Yungchen Lhamo.
The Councilor for Culture of the City of Cartagena, David Martínez, announced this morning, Friday, April 6, that this award is granted to Totó la Momposina, "for devoting a lifetime to the international diffusion of music from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, for being a restless innovator and for continuing tirelessly to promote the music of her native land driven by passion and joy. "
"It is an honor for us to offer and share this award with one of the icons of Latin American culture, one of the lighthouses of folklore throughout the Americas and a reference for all music lovers.
Try to explain the magic of Toto is reduced to nothing compared to the experience of seeing it in their concerts, making everyone give themselves to the dance and put a smile on his face after leaving to see it live.
This is what has happened at least every time he has performed at our festival, "says Martínez, who also remembers that the award that this year will receive the Momposina has already been collected in other editions of the festival by" Oumou Sangaré, Susana Baca, Cheick Lo , Pablo Milanés, Omara Portuondo and Gino Paoli ".
BIOGRAPHY
Totó la Momposina was born on the banks of the Magadalena River, in the town of Talaigua, Momposina comes to be from the fluvial island of Mompox or Mompós.
A scholar of the traditions on the ground, she brings with her the entire culture of the Caribbean coast.
To folklore she calls it "music of identity".
And she defines herself as "cantadora".
Some of the women who sing accompanied by clapping and percussion.
She traveled from childhood to the towns of the region always attentive to learn the art of her singers and to soak up cumbias, bullerengues and mapalés.
Collecting the old songs and dances from the memory of the elders.
Like that Carmelina, to which she paid tribute in one of her albums, making joys, that every day she went out to preach and sell her products, wiggling her hips and offering them from door to door.
More than half a century has been working this woman who sang in the streets of Paris when studying history of dance at the Sorbonne and accompanied in December 1982 to García Márquez in the Nobel Prize.
They broke protocol, it was the first time there was music in the solemn Swedish ceremony.
And with the voice of Toto the drums and the bagpipes of the cumbia sounded.
The culture of a people that is very alive.
Porros, cumbias, zambaplos, abozaos, meringues, afroros and sextetos palenqueros are the rhythms of their records.
It is a catalog, not so small, of the vast and eclectic musical offer of Colombia, which boasts more than 100 rhythms in its various regions.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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