Colombia: Learning from Vallenato

Amongst Colombian users of Twitter, the trend of publishing phrases from Vallenato songs -under the tag #Elvallenatomeenseñó [es] (Vallenato taught me)- has emerged, with the intention of highlighting famous lyrics immortalised in songs that reflect different life lessons.

As a musical genre, Vallenato is defined in Wikipedia as “native folk music from the Colombian Caribbean Coast […]. Traditionally, it is played with three instruments: the Diatonic Button Accordion, the Guacharaca and the Caja Vallenata drum. Vallenato has five different rhythms which are the paseo, the merengue, the puya, the son and the tambora. Vallenato is also played with the Guitar and with the same instruments as Cumbia in cumbiambas and groups that play with the millo”.

Vallenato forms a fundamental part of Colombian culture and it could be said that it is one of the most characteristic features of the country's history.

Alexandra Osorio (@alexaaOsorioo) [es] published:

@alexaaOsorioo: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que si me llego a morir, no la culpen a ella culpen a mi corazón que se enamoro sin conocerla ♪

@alexaaOsorioo: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that if I die, don't blame her, blame my heart that fell in love without knowing her. ♪

Margy Salgado (‏@Mar_FisioUMB) [es] also joined in with the Vallenato song “Parranda, Ron y Mujer” (Party, Rum and Women):

‏@Mar_FisioUMB: #ElVallenatoMeEnseñó yo gozo mi vida y otro que la sufra, porque con lamentos no se gana NADA (Diomedez Diaz)

‏@Mar_FisioUMB: #ElVallenatoMeEnseñó (Vallenato taught me) I enjoy my life and another suffers, because with moaning, you gain NOTHING (Diomedez Diaz)

For her part, Gabriela Nava (@gabyNava12) [es] maintains that it is impossible not to love Vallenato:

Cómo no quererte mi vallenato del alma

“Impossible not to love you, Vallenato of my soul. You turn my sadness into happiness”. Image shared by @gabyNava12 en Twitter.

The user ‘David no existe’ (David doesn't exist) (@Tuunicoacosador) [es] remembers one of the most emblematic Vallenatos in the history of this genre: “Obsesión” (Obsession) by the group El Binomio de América (The Binomial of America).

@Tuunicoacosador: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que quisiera que el mundo girara al revés, para hacerme pequeño y volver a nacer, y así no tener que extrañarteee.

@Tuunicoacosador: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that I want the world to turn the other way, in order to make me small and to be born again, and thus not have to miss youuu.

Valentina Montoya (@Valenmontoyaa) [es], sings “La indiferencia” (The Indifference):

@Valenmontoyaa#ElVallenatoMeEnseño que esa indiferencia tuya es la que me domina, me hace perder la calma, me hace sentir cosquillas.

@Valenmontoyaa#ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that your indifference controls me, it makes me lose my calm, it gives me butterflies.

Silvestre Dangond (@Dangond_Ochoa) [es] too, expresses:

@Dangond_Ochoa: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que no es la plata es el corazón …

@Dangond_Ochoa: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that it's not about money, but the heart…

Finally, Dana (@unaejtupida) [es] mentions various, famous young singers and composers.

@unaejtupida: Silvestre me enseño, Kaleth me enseño, Martín Elías me enseño………………..mejor .

@unaejtupida: Silvestre taught me, Kaleth taught me, Martín Elías taught me………………..best (Vallenato taught me).

More Vallenato

The following are blogs dedicated to Vallenato:

You can also visit the post that Global Voices published in relation to the festival of the legendary Vallenato that is celebrated annually in Colombia.

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