Ethnography

champeta 

Champeta is a genre which was born in Colombia influenced by African descent culture. Mainly, I have an interest in researching this musical genre that is been developed culturally in Cartagena; Colombia and Barranquilla; Colombia as part of an urban movement that identifies African descent population by the expressive dance style and feeling evoked by the freedom of romanticism mainly in celebrations (parties, festivals and traditional celebration in tropical places of the coast of Colombia). On top of that, there was a TV series which was very famous in 2013, called 'Bazurto' which developed as a main point of reference the strong musical influence of champeta where were played most of the most-known songs published which exposed better the genre through the country. 

Also, I have a desire and curiosity for analysing deeper this genre that owns to my culture and that also, I have not had the initiative to get informed about the background of it. However, there are relative aspects that make this genre more interesting such as the fact that this genre is been influenced by African music beats, reggae, Caribbean record labels that arrived first to the coast of Colombia and part of it: the reggaeton.

It is very interesting to highlight the fact that this genre is been influenced internationally without a linguistic criticism that divides diversity of expression that therefore, inspires me to look at why this is a cultural identity more than just a musical genre. A genre developed in an urban culture which has its antagonistic good and mainly bad point of acceptation by the high-status society who do not relate and identify with this inspiring movement of patrimonial influence.

  1. Sound
Champeta has been known for being very catchy and danceable. Most of its influence is because it is more culturally promoted as an identity and also as an incentive for people to feel free through composing or dancing this kind of music.

The sound of Champeta is very rhythmic and also very speedy, even the normal BPM used for this music is in between 100 bpm and 120 bpm. I would say that it is more upbeat, it is used a lot of syncopation and also this type of music involves very danceable beats that make it mainly, music for dancing more than for listening. Apart from all the contrast patterns such as the use of solo marimba and very intensive drumming, the drums and percussion are the base of this rhythmical genre.

However, the lyrics are made inspired by the urban movement of dance and sexual attraction which makes the singing very inspiring for dancing and with lots of hooks and accurate tuning to make it sound rhythmically party-going.

The melody of the marimba is particularly very implemented in this type of music because I would say that the marimba creates that tropical feeling and sound. Also, the bass is quite heavy, and I would say that this type of music is kept of strong bass melody but very upbeat-bass.

 If we analyse, this type of music and we relate it to the African music, the beats are similar and the mood of the genre is quite apparent each other. It is very interesting to have a look at the African champeta and to see that the influence of both sides where the genre is influenced by Colombia-Africa which is very contrasting.

 I want to quote a fragment of an investigation about the origins of champeta and what I found is very interesting. Even,  we can identify that champeta is part of a mixture of rhythmical roots that created another styles of music:

 "Como género musical, la champeta se circunscribe al África occidental y Central, a los países circunscritos al área del golfo de Guinea. Los núcleos que la conforman son variados ya que no existe una raíz única ni un ritmo exclusivo. Del Zaire (hoy República Democrática del Congo), cuna del Soukuos, ha salido la mayor influencia ejercida sobre el Caribe (Martinica, Haití, Barbados), incluyendo también las ciudades de Cartagena y Barranquilla. Así también sobresalen desde Nigeria otros ritmos como el ju-ju, el waka, el fuji, el highlife y el afrobeat, del famoso Fela Añiculapu Kuti (Archbold, 1994)"

 - Martínez Miranda, Luis Gerardo (2011). "La champeta: a form of resistance
Palenquera to the dynamics of exclusion of the "white" elites of Cartagena and Barranquilla between 1960 and 2000. " In: Bulletin of Anthropology. University of Antioquia, vol. 25 N.o PAGE No 4 42 pp. 150-174. Text received: 06/01/2011; final approval: 20/010/2011.
TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH:

 "As a musical genre, champeta is confined to West and Central Africa, to the countries circumscribed to the Gulf of Guinea area, the nuclei that make it up are varied since there is no single root nor an exclusive rhythm. Democratic Party of the Congo), cradle of the Soukuos, has exerted the greatest influence exerted on the Caribbean (Martinique, Haiti, Barbados), including the cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla, and other rhythms such as ju-ju, waka also stand out from Nigeria , the fuji, the highlife and the afrobeat, of the famous Fela Añiculapu Kuti (Archbold, 1994) "

- Martínez Miranda, Luis Gerardo (2011). "La champeta: a form of resistance
Palenquera to the dynamics of exclusion of the "white" elites of Cartagena and Barranquilla between 1960 and 2000. " In: Bulletin of Anthropology. University of Antioquia, vol. 25 N.o PAGE No 4 42 pp. 150-174. Text received: 06/01/2011; final approval: 20/010/2011.



 Here, I have attached more music videos of the most known songs in Colombia from this genre:

1- Latin music version





This Latin version is rhythmically influenced by the strong bass lines and hard kick and snare beats apart from the harmonisation of strings in the synths or any other instruments used as strings.


2- the African version of champeta

On the other side this African version is more developed based on the strings mainly than the bass line, but also the melodies are strongly kept by the drums. I do the comparison between the Latin version and the African version to compare the differences that there are. However, both versions are influenced by the same mood and dancing, so that, I would say that this genre is developed to identify the afro-decent community and their own culture.

2. Sight

Champeta as an urban style, the visual elements that involve image are the fancy clothes worn during the music videos and the Caribbean hairstyle such as different ways of styling the hair. However, I am not saying that is always like that because nowadays social media requires more luxurious stuff to be more flashy. Anyway, the genre is an urban style is influenced by the free-rights of dancing for fun and happiness. 

 Resultado de imagen de vestimenta para champeta


Even in the music videos, I would say that the champeta version in Latin America is very slang influence, so that, the dancing of this type of music, mainly in Colombia has very much sexual attraction and even, if we analyse the following music video, we will see that this music represents the Caribbean and Afro-descent culture in a revelling or party-going way. this genre is more about dancing.


In fact, Champeta inspires the sense of summer and beach environment and I think that the idea of tropical mood is the most important characteristic of this genre, especially because Champeta is from the coast of Colombia which is very sunny and tropical season.

 3.Use of equipment

The instruments employed for this type of music are the voice, drums or electric drums (mainly), electric guitar, marimba, bass, congas and synths. Generally, the drums that keep the strong rhythm and the speedy tempo are modulated by effects and I would say that it makes more relation with the marimba to make it more tropical.

 Champeta is more contrasting because the use of sound effects into the marimba is very contemporaneous because the century of now requires more innovation, but before they were more acoustic instruments which executed a better and purer sound before now's technology.


Resultado de imagen de champeta

4.How you encounter it

The champeta generally can be found in social media and online platforms where people can pay for listening and downloading champeta such as YouTube, Spotify, ITunes, Facebook, Instagram and more. Nowadays, there are a huge number of websites where you can get in touch with this type of music, however, if you go to Cartagena; Colombia, probably you will find a lot of people dancing champeta on the street of certain places. This is a cultural movement mainly from that part of Colombia where you can get in touch by exploring the party-going sides of the city and the culture environment developed there.

Also, there are tv soap operas recorded in Cartagena; Colombia, and you can see the cultural environment that surrounds the space where the people is. Surely, we will find out that champeta is practised in most of this city's places where you can dance however you want and you feel that attraction.


5. how it relates to the body



Champeta more than the musical genre is a movement of dance and identification with the body. This genre completely relates as a whole with the body, starting with the point of view that it was created as a cultural movement of decrease the violence between street-crew or gangs. Also to diminish the discrimination for social status or skin colour.

 Actually, there are international championships of dancing champeta and also, lots of traditional celebration in the Caribbean region based on dancing this type of music.

6. How it relates to other issues

Champeta relates to a sociocultural issue of racism and disagreements of social status that discriminated black-people and mainly, people of african offspring.

 The purpose of this genre is to create a body language of free expression as the champeta style of dance. Also, it helps people to feel equal compared to everyone and to understand that all of us: we can live in equal conditions.

 However, there were fights and conflicts in between 1960's and 2000's , about the skin discrimination and social differences which made that with the time, champeta became the creole therapy.

 Here, I want to attach a quotation of one investigation about champeta where the description of cultural resistance  became a movement of protest.  Also, it is explained in more detail what I am trying to say about the social differences:

 "Todo este compendio musical, venido de distintos puntos o focos creados por la diáspora africana se reúne en el importante puerto marítimo de la costa norte colombiana. Cartagena, dando inicio a un movimiento de resistencia cultural de los descendientes de los africanos allí radicados o simplemente de los que en él laboran en aras de mejorar sus precarias condiciones de vida. Dicho movimiento mantiene en una pugna constante a dos clases sociales antagónicas como lo son las elites cartagenera y barranquillera y la población afro residente en las zonas periféricas de estas ciudades. En medio de esta tensión constante se encuentra la búsqueda de la persistencia de la llamada identidad de cada clase."

 - Martínez Miranda, Luis Gerardo (2011). "La champeta: a form of resistance
Palenquera to the dynamics of exclusion of the "white" elites of Cartagena and Barranquilla between 1960 and 2000. " In: Bulletin of Anthropology. University of Antioquia, vol. 25 N.o PAGE No 5 42 pp. 150-174. Text received: 06/01/2011; final approval: 20/010/2011.

TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH TO ENGLISH BY GOOGLE TRANSLATE:

 "All this musical compendium, coming from different points or focuses created by the African Diaspora, gathers in the important maritime port of the north coast of Colombia, Cartagena, starting a movement of cultural resistance of the descendants of the Africans settled there or simply of those who work for the sake of improving their precarious living conditions, this movement maintains in a constant struggle two antagonistic social classes such as the Cartagena and Barranquilla elites and the afro population residing in the peripheral areas of these cities. The medium of this constant tension is the search for the persistence of the so-called identity of each class. "

 - Martínez Miranda, Luis Gerardo (2011). "La champeta: a form of resistance
Palenquera to the dynamics of exclusion of the "white" elites of Cartagena and Barranquilla between 1960 and 2000. " In: Bulletin of Anthropology. University of Antioquia, vol. 25 N.o PAGE No 5 42 pp. 150-174. Text received: 06/01/2011; final approval: 20/010/2011.



7. How it exists in time

The duration of a  song of champeta takes about 4 to 6 minutes for listening. Mainly, because the songs of champeta use a structure of very long verses and rapping. As this music is very tropical and dancing, the songs are longer than the common songs that just take about 3 to 3'30'' minutes.


Bibliography 



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