Culture, Art, and Music in Colombia

Colombian culture is the result of a blend of European influences, especially those from Spain, Indigenous peoples, and African slaves brought by the conquistadors.

Colombian culture is most genuinely expressed in its music, dances (in bars and nightclubs), and the hugely popular telenovelas, the undisputed queens of television. Other cultural and artistic expressions—literature, painting, sculpture, and theater—generate less interest. Nevertheless, travelers with artistic and cultural interests eager to explore Colombian artistic landscapes may find something of interest. Bogotá is the artistic capital of Colombia.

Music
Colombia is famous for its music, beyond Shakira (who, despite being Colombian, is not particularly famous in her own country) or the multi-Grammy-winning singer Luanes (who is indeed famous). Both vallenato and cumbia originated in the fertile soil of Colombia, a country that has borrowed and made its own Caribbean salsa. Merengue and reggaeton are also very popular.

Vallenato, born a century ago on the Caribbean coast, is based on the accordion. Carlos Vives, one of the best-known modern Latin musicians, transformed it into a vibrant pop rhythm and popularized it throughout the country.
Cumbia, a lively 4/4 time signature with guitars, accordion, bass, drums, and occasionally a horn section, is the Colombian rhythm that enjoys the greatest popularity abroad and has exerted the most influence on international music, from Mexico to Argentina and New York.

Salsa spread throughout the Caribbean and arrived in Colombia in the late 1960s. Since then... Cali and Barranquilla have become the main strongholds of salsa in Colombia, although it is heard throughout the country and is the most popular music in Bogotá nightclubs. Colombia now boasts countless salsa bands and many excellent salsa singers; among the top names are Joe Arroyo, from the Caribbean coast, and Grupo Niche from Cali.

Joropo, the music of the Llanos plains, is usually accompanied by harp, cuatro (a small four-stringed guitar), and maracas, and shares many similarities with the music of the Venezuelan Llanos.
Colombia has also given rise to many rhythms that emerged from the fusion of Afro-Caribbean and Spanish influences, such as porro, currulao, me-recwnbé, and mapalé.