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Video

Cantadoras del Pacífico - "Mirando" [Live at Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2009]

The marimba is a vivid legacy of African presence in Latin America, but only on the Pacific coast of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador does it keep its close connections to a strong African culture. Hailing from small towns along the Colombian coast, the seasoned singers of Cantadoras del Pacífico raise their voices to the accompaniment of marimba and drums, performing their distinctive styles of music known collectively as currulao. In this video recorded at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, they perform the piece "Mirando."