The Nature of Culture program at the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Nature of Culture

The Colombia: The Nature of Culture program at the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrates the rich bio-cultural diversity of Colombia and explores how Colombian cultural expressions are inextricably connected to their distinctive environments. Colombia leads the world in the number of bird species, has the second highest number of varieties of amphibians and plants, and is third in the diversity of its reptiles. Because of its biological and environmental diversity, Colombia is home to some of the world’s most distinctive cultures and traditions. This year’s festival program shows how these cultures survive and thrive through the dynamic relationship between people and nature.

The program highlights six ecosystems, from the Andes mountains to the Amazon Rainforest, Andean Savannah, Southeastern Plains, the hilly coffee region of Caldas, and the urban centers of Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali. Roughly one hundred Colombian artists will sing, dance, prepare food, tell stories, celebrate the harvest, and demonstrate religious ceremonies, traditional medicine practices, and agricultural sustainability at the Festival.

Among the traditions highlighted are:

• Gold-mining activities from the Atrato River in the Pacific Rainforest, such as panning, work songs, filigree jewelry-making, and gold trading;
• Basket and cloth weaving utilizing the diverse fibers and reeds found in the Andean Savannah;
• Leather crafts from the Orinoco Plains that exemplify the ranching lifestyle, such as cotizas (traditional shoes), campechanas (hammocks), and ranching gear;
• Crafts and performances integral to community celebrations and rituals from the Momposino Flood Plains, including religious sculpture, drumming music, carnival, and foodways;
• Activities surrounding coffee growing, including agro-tourism, guadua/bamboo architecture, coffee-picking basket weaving, and mule and jeep transportation.

Colombia: The Nature of Culture program offers a forum for Colombian artists and performers to demonstrate their wisdom and knowledge through their cultural practices. For example, a Mompox drum maker discusses how his tradition depends on protecting the fragile flood plains that contain the wood used to build his instruments. A basket weaver from Filandia demonstrates the creative solutions she has found to maintain the vitality of her tradition, at a time when the industrial coffee workers do not use her baskets for picking coffee. Visitors can learn how Willys Jeeps built for World War II now typically transport coffee and bananas from farms to local markets; children from school to home; and families moving their household goods. Successful packing depends on the skills of the yipero who draws on the knowledge of packing a mule, which is still practiced in the steeper mountain regions. 

Waves of violence and the lack of economic opportunities have displaced people from rural areas to the cities—a pressing issue in Colombia especially among youth. A number of organizations have provided innovative programs to engage these youth in art and cultural activities. What’s more, in the cities, the interaction of traditional culture with contemporary life is giving rise to new customs and forms of expression.

The Colombia: The Nature of Culture festival program offers audiences a window into the country’s unique cultural traditions in order to learn more about the creativity and vitality of Colombia’s diverse population.