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Totó La Momposina makes fun of artists who say that they will conquer Europe with their music. "I've been taking folklore for 60 years, so those who boast now have it all wrong," he says.
He is 78 years old and his voice is intact. "It's just that I do not drink, I do not smoke, I do not stay up late … ah! And I do not have a husband." He laughs. L & # 39; artist is known for his spontaneity, for not having made detours An improvised public of journalists, who for the most part have not lived more than three decades, listens attentively one day before offering a concert in Bogotá
Sonia Bazanta Vides – Totó la Momposina – is one of the most important musical ambbadadors of the folkloric traditions of the Colombian Caribbean.He was a pioneer in crossing the ocean for bring the roar of drums, the legacy of their ancestors, to hidden latitudes like the Soviet Union gone.
This Monday, July 23, the Bolivarian singer (born in Talaigua Nuevo, in 1940) will receive a another tribute in his long career (which includes the award for excellence of Latin Grammys in 2013).
C & Is the prize La Mar de Músicas, in the festival that celebrates music, cinema, literature and the visual arts and which reaches its XXIV edition, in Cartagena (Spain). In addition, it will offer a concert that includes famous songs such as "La Candela viva", "El Pescador" or "Aguacero de Mayo".
Everyone makes reggaeton, even vallenatos. It's an explosion. You have to work for your own music and do not copy anyone
His memory and his energy are enviable: after receiving this recognition, he will continue his tour of the Old Continent, on Friday 27 July in Belgium and Sunday 29, in France Below, some excerpts from the interview in which he discussed family and artistic anecdotes, and criticized the Colombian media for their lack of support for folklore.
The origins
"Ancestral music always has detractors The contemplation of the ancestral is carried out with the feeling of belonging I must say where I come from, what I eat (It's a good costeña and loves coconut rice) and what I think.That way, you can love and protect what we have.At 8 years old, I was making shoes, because I came from a family of shoemakers, but my grandfather played the clarinet and also directed the group, and my great-grandfather played the bandola at Mompox and ran a small theater. because we were from Talaigua, Chimila Indians, I must say that today, tomorrow and always, because it must be authentic. "
Ancestral Rhythms
" I started to perform cantao dances (bullerengue, lumbalú, fandanguito, chandé, mapalé, among other variations rythmi Under the influence of my grandfather and my great-grandfather, I added other instruments to the drums: traditional music was developing through badtets and the accordion which is German but savannah of Bolívar and not to Valledupar, as it became popular. Singing dances have also adopted it. Then, the dances in the fandango wheels were introduced all the instruments that arrived with the Spaniards and the pirates (the winds, for example). "
Europe
" I finished my studies at the Sorbonne (in Paris) because I had to strengthen my knowledge to make ancestral music in a country where you can not hear it . the radio. If at all on national radio. There in Paris they opened the doors to me: they treated me as if I wore a great gift, so I started giving everything I knew and they gave me a good deal. other knowledge. It was like an exchange of knowledge. "
Other Music
" For me, going to schools and universities has always been a priority. Boys learn to value more because they generate a sense of belonging knowing the traditional. I remember that in a concert that I did in Javeriana I told the young people: Well, you can not eat lies because the music hear is the real ancestral music, because music is more than the reggaeton that they put on the stations all the time. # 39; . Go and ask if they put bambucos, rajaleñas or sones of drums. That's what you eat, they answer. "
The New Proposals
" It is that everyone makes reggaeton, even vallenatos. It's an explosion. You must work for your own music and not copy anyone. The musicians of the interior should make proposals with their stringed instruments, as they do in Cuba. Boys tend to plagiarize. You have to be inspired by what he has. "
I do not pay for them to play my music, because it's like they're begging .. I'm still here because I love this country, but you have to show the stuffs From time to time
Dissemination of Folklore
"Part of what many composers and performers do is to respect our ancestors. My commitment is to take this music to another level, without losing its essence, through the sense of belonging. I do not pay them to play my music, because it's like I'm begging. I am always there because I love this country, but you have to show the stuffs in the sun from time to time. "
Soviet Union
" When I was in third grade, my ambition was to go to the Soviet Union. Years later, they invited me to sing. I spent six months there and we gave about 180 concerts throughout the region. They can not imagine the attention and respect. We felt like kings: punctuality, transfers, beautiful hotels, complete scenes, with engineers and equipment of the highest quality … It is sad to compare it to some shows here because there is There is no ritual of the importance of being called Ernesto (laughs by Oscar Wilde). I can sing very beautiful, but if the microphone fails, things are not going well. "
Beginner Musicians
" I would tell them to study music. I come from a dynasty of musicians, and when I arrived at the conservatory, it was an advantage; but I think that he has to spend a lot of time getting ready to become a true artist.
And never forget their principles, because artists can not be sold. "
The secret of success
" I'm not a girl, I'm 78, but a spirit like 15 (more laughter). It helps even though I still have a lot to learn: I still have not figured out why Colombia does not express it and that's why we're in the dirt because we do not let's not say what we feel.
Mar de Músicas, more than music Toto la Momposina will receive the award at the Spanish festival La Mar de Músicas on Monday, July 23, the documentary "La colombiana". directed by Tony Hardmon, will be screened and depicts his struggle to keep alive the ancestral sounds.
It will also be screened "Porro made in Colombia", a journey to the origins of this rhythm under the direction of the singer Adriana Lucía of Cordoba
See all the artists and more information about the contest that takes place held until the 29th of July at Lamardemusicas .cartagena.es
SOFÍA GÓMEZ G.
Culture
On Twitter: @CulturaET
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