Champeta

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Champeta

Stylistic origins Chalusonga, chalupa, Afro-Cuban dance music and

Congolese dance music

Cultural origins Early-1980s, Cartagena, Colombia

Typical Voice, percussion, bass, electric guitar, synthesiser,

instruments keyboard

Subgenres

Champeta criolla, champeta urbana, champeta africana

Regional scenes

Colombia

Local scenes

Cartagena, Palenque of San Basilio

Champeta, also known as terapia, is a musical genre and dance that originated in
the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the early 1980s. It developed from an earlier
style termed chalusonga, which originated in Palenque de San Basilio in the mid-
1970s.[1] Chalusonga was a combination of Colombian chalupa and Afro-Cuban
percussive music popularized by Estrellas del Caribe. [1] When their music
reached Cartagena de Indias, it evolved into champeta, which became a
movement and identity among the lower classes of Afro-Colombians. It shows
influences from African colonial settlements and from contemporary African culture
as well, particularly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2]

Contents

 1Musical characteristics
 2History
 3Cultural aspects
 4Performers
 5Cinema
 6References
 7Bibliography
 8External links

Musical characteristics[edit]
In champeta music the rhythmic base dominates over the melodic and harmonic
lines, producing a music easy to dance to and marked by its strength and plasticity.
The instruments used include the voice, percussion, electric guitar, bass, conga
drums, and the synthesiser which contributes rhythmic effects. This musical form is
characterised by a division into three sequential parts: the introductory music, the
chorus, and a third element known as “el Despeluque”, marked by powerful
repetitive rhythms and usually accompanied by “placas”. Song lyrics often display
the rebellious attitude of Cartagena people of African descent, challenging social
and economic exclusion or relating their dreams of change and progress. [citation needed]

History[edit]

Champeta knife or machetilla.

The word “champeta” originally denoted a short, curved, monkey killing knife of the
same name, used in the region at work, in the kitchen and as an offensive weapon.
The word is first known to have been used as a cultural identifier in the 1920s.
Socio-cultural researchers and sociologists have established that at some time
before the 1920s the term “champetudo” started to be applied to residents of the
more outlying districts of Cartagena, who tended to be poorer and of African
descent. The term was applied by the economic élite with the intention of
disparaging this surviving culture, with associations of vulgarity, poverty and
blackness. Thus “champeta” refers to a culture whose history is marked by slavery
and mistreatment.
At the start of the 1970s, champeta culture became better-known in Colombia due
to the development of a set of complex dances set to the rhythms
of salsa and jíbaro and later reggae, as well as progressively more foreign or novel
dance genres as providers competed for exclusivos, records other groups did not
have in their library. This music was played at full volume through big loudspeakers
known locally as “picós” (from the English word “pick-up”) by troupes of the same
name. These early dances were called “therapy” for their relaxing nature, a
distraction from the economic problems of the country.
Around 1981, “creole therapy” emerged as a musical genre to be performed and
sung. Among its sources of inspiration was recorded music brought into the port of
Cartagena from Africa and from other African settlements. Its first composers were
people of African descent from Cartagena and Palenque de San Basilio, later
joined by songwriters and entrepreneurs from Barranquilla and other parts of
Colombia. It consisted in a fusion of African rhythms
(soukous, highlife, mbaqanga, juju) with those from the Antilles (ragga, compás
haitiano, also influenced by music of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian origins
(bullerengue, mapalé, zambapalo and chalupa). This style of music came to be
known as “Colombian therapy” and finally took on the name of the “champeta”
culture.[3] During the 1990s champeta underwent further changes in its musical and
other content, with the introduction of digital techniques and “placas” (interruptions
counter to the rhythm). Despite its social origins, champeta came to be as much
appreciated as rejected by the social élite.

Cultural aspects[edit]

Posters advertising a Champeta concert in the market of Bazurto in Cartagena de Indias

The standard conception of champeta includes four central aspects: musical

expression, the distinctive language, the loudspeakers (“picós”), and the “perreos”
– celebrations. Some give equal importance to other aspects such as dance,
political activism, costume, or videos. More recently this cultural phenomenon has
spread to other art forms such as cinema, literature and the plastic arts. [2]
In Colombia there are many night clubs where people can go dancing to the sound
of champeta music.

 In Cartagena de Indias, in the Bazurto neighbourhood, there is a place

called Bazurto Social Club, next to the Centenario park, were live bands play
champeta in the colourful walls that relate to Cartagena's history. Opened from
Thursday to Saturday, from 19:00 until 3:00, it's a great place to learn some of
the champeta's moves. [4]
 In Bogotá, in the zona rosa, there's a bar called Campanario, where a live
band plays all the tropical rhythms such as champeta, reggeaton, reggae, and
even calypso. Opened from Wednesday to Saturday, from 19:00 until 3:00, it is
 recommended to be there early because it is a small, popular and quite
crowded bar. [5]

Performers