The Carnival of Barranquilla

UNESCO: Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity 2008 URL: Description: Every year during the four days before Lent, the Carnival de Barranquilla offers a repertory of dances and musical expressions originating from different Colombian subcultures. Because of its geographical location situated on the Caribbean coast and the commercial development during the colonial period, the city of Barranquilla became one of the countrys busiest trading centres and a place where European, African, and indigenous peoples and cultures converged. The blending of various local traditions permeates numerous aspects of the carnival, particularly dances (as exemplified by the mico y micas from the Americas, the African congo and the paloteo of Spanish origin), musical genres (the predominant cumbia and variants such as the puya and porro) and folk instruments (tambora and allegre drums, maraca, claves, Carnival music is generally pe