Throughout my nearly five months here, we have witnessed and experienced so many cultural traditions and customs that it’s nearly impossible to choose a most exciting. But one that comes to mind, that also ties into the second question, was when we were in Cartagena, Colombia. Even after all the research my friends and I had done, I knew that none of it could really prepare me for the true beauty of the walled city in Cartagena. I realized that some of the most beautiful things were things we just stumbled upon, and I wondered what other wonders we could find.
Scattered throughout the buildings that stretched the lengths of the streets were wide open plazas, some with elaborate fountains, others with beautiful gardens, all furnished with benches with many watching eyes. It was here that we discovered the true beauty of Colombia, the people.
I was able to hear the plaza well before it actually came into sight. It sounded as if a group that couldn’t be smaller than at least 15 people were drumming in sync to a beat of their liking. We rounded a corner and there, in the center of the plaza, surrounded by a large group of onlookers, were men and women dressed in an array of vibrant colors dancing to the beat of the music. My friends and I were in awe at their ability to stay in sync with the racing pace of the drums. They were able to move their hips and legs in sync perfectly, building off one another. They stomped their feet and moved their hips to the music never missing a beat. As the music became more rapid and even more chaotic, the dancers became more rapid and chaotic. They flailed their arms and danced in circles, each taking a turn to let the others show off their best moves. While the movements appeared to have no rhyme or reason each dancer performed them in tune with the others. They were able to move their entire body at once in a manner that should seem impossible to stay in sync with music, shaking their entire body from head to toe. What looked like the lack of order was actually the beauty of their dances because it allowed them to perform it with the most amount energy and passion possible. The dancers and the drummers fed off of one another. As the dancers became more in tune with their performance the drummers became louder and more vivacious with their actions.
I found myself having to tear my eyes away from the mesmerizing dancers to take in the surrounding scene. What I surely thought was a drum circle of at least 15 people turned out to be only a handful of men, about 5 or 6. There were also a few young boys who couldn’t be older than 7 or 8 that would sporadically join the drum group. It was these young boys that made me more intrigued to watch the drum circle then the dancers. One young boy sat at one of the largest drums, his arms barely above the top of the drum. He started out slow making it seem like he was really only capable of keeping a steady beat. As soon as this thought came to mind I was, rightfully so, proven wrong immediately. He began to play the drum so rigorously that he was using every ounce of energy and muscle his small body possessed. Even while using so much energy he never became stumbled or skipped a beat. He was soon the main beat and highlight of the circle where everyone else simply played around his beat. The drums were made out of cowhide and were made into various sizes and types of drums. Some were tall and skinny, while others were shorter and squat. Drums were not the only instruments represented. The younger boys were shaking instruments that created a sound effect that sand was being shook around in a tin capsule to the beat of the music. The way they stayed in tune to the drummers by moving and dancing to the beat of the music. There was also a man playing a saxophone that only participated in certain songs. He added a jazz influence to the otherwise very Africanized music styling. As the drummers grew louder and faster it only fueled the dancers to become more animated in their moves.
Their costumes represented what I assumed to be traditional garb of their ancestors, each with bright, vibrant colors differing in style. The dancers changed their outfits a few times giving the viewers a wide array of different traditional garb. One outfit could barely be considered wearing clothes. The men had small pieces that stretched from their hips to the upper most parts of their thighs covering no more than what underwear would cover. Although the pieces were small, they did not lack in color and flare. They were made out of hundreds and hundreds of hot pink and sunshine yellow strings that were sewn together to create a skirt-like bottom. Tied around each of the man’s right leg was the same pink and yellow strings made into a small band. The women had on similar pieces of the same length and color but they also had a top on unlike the bare chested men. The tops were made out of the the same pink and yellow strings but were sewn on to the front of a yellow bra that clipped in the back and were tied around their necks. The tops did not cover more than what a bra would cover. After a speedy wardrobe change, just off to the side of the “dance floor”, the women threw long dresses over their skimpy costumes. The skirt part of the dresses were beautifully sewn to be plastered with hundreds of colorful flowers. The bottom of the skirts were ruffles of the same yellow as the previous outfits but this time was accompanied by blood red ruffles. The top of the dress was made out of tight red material topped off with more ruffles. The women used their skirts as a prop for their routines lifting and swaying the skirts as they danced in circles. The men were dressed in all white with navy blue, thin scarves acting as a tie.
For Colombians, music and dance were the stepping stones of their culture through which they are able to express themselves in ways that words would do no justice.
