Petronio Alvarez Festival: Globalizing Afro-Colombian Music

Minutes before midnight on Saturday at the Petronio Alvarez Festival in Cali, Colombia, the sound system stopped working during La Herencia de Timbiquí’s performance. The crowd, estimated at 45,000 by festival staff, hardly missed a beat – continuing to sing for several minutes.

It was unsurprising that the audience, a mix of Colombians and visitors from around the globe, knew the band’s material well. La Herencia de Timbiquí is one of the few groups from Colombia’s Pacific coast to reach tens of millions of streams on Spotify. However, outside Colombia, few fans are familiar with the rich diversity of Afro-Latino music from this region.

The Petronio Festival, named after Petronio Alvarez—a railroad worker and composer of “Mi Buenaventura”—aims to change that. Held in Cali, a city with the second-highest Black population in Latin America, the festival concluded its 28th edition on Monday.

Cali’s Black residents, many of whom immigrated from the coast due to violence, brought with them a rich cultural and musical heritage. This includes genres like the brass-heavy chirimía and marimba-driven currulao, which have yet to achieve the prominence of other Colombian genres like vallenato and cumbia.

Each year, Petronio gains a higher international profile. Organizers estimate that the 2024 festival will draw up to a half-million attendees, a stark increase from the 5,000 locals in 1997. This year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended, putting new eyes on the event. Markle spoke in perfect Spanish from the stage, and the couple danced and attended events focused on the region’s challenges.

Despite the rising international awareness, some question what it will take for Afro-Colombian sounds to reach a global audience. Inma Grass, founder of Spanish music company Altafonte, was drawn to the music. Altafonte, acquired by Sony Music, includes La Herencia de Timbiquí in its roster. Grass is planning a campaign for the band’s 25th anniversary and came to meet new artists. “I’m shocked by the musical richness [of the Pacific coast],” she said, adding that it has “global potential.”

Special performances outside the contest format included Nidia Góngora from Timbiquí. She is known for her collaborations with English producer Quantic and roots music with Canalón de Timbiquí, which earned a Latin Grammy nomination in 2019. When speaking with Góngora about collaborating in 2017, Quantic had to visit her homeland first. She was wary of an extractive relationship. He returned with a new respect and commitment to her musical roots, resulting in the album “Curao,” with each track streamed over a million times on Spotify. The album blends traditional and contemporary sounds seamlessly.

The festival’s Open category sees many such musical blends. The six-day fest also included after-hour events featuring artists like Alexis Play, who fuses traditional elements with rap. His performance included a chirimía presentation, a nod to his roots.

Many musicians at the festival worry about preserving these roots. Highlighting this concern was a concert led by marimbero Hugo Candelario, featuring a 26-person ensemble inclusive of marimba maestros and their young relatives. Candelario, who won the first Petronio in 1997 with Grupo Bahía, emphasized the need for preserving ancestral knowledge through recordings and music schools.

Yuri Buenaventura has frequently shared his story of rising from poverty in Paris to international success with his album “Herencia Africana.” Now residing in Cali, he focuses on recording musicians from the Pacific coast. He worries that without industry knowledge like production and marketing, the festival might lose its essence.

Altafonte’s Grass addressed the balance between preserving traditions and reaching a global audience. “Many musicians are recuperating their roots and mixing them with genres that young people listen to,” she said. “You can’t be a purist.” She cited flamenco’s evolution in Spain as an example of successful blending. She emphasized that music must evolve to connect with new generations, integrating elements like trap, rap, jazz, and reggaetón.

The festival’s Open competition category is particularly conducive to fusion. Chureo Callejero, a group blending marimba, rap, and snare drums, won this year. Shortly after their victory, a visitor commented on one of their YouTube videos, expressing a desire for their music on Spotify and praising the festival and Colombia.

Source: Billboard