Martinez: Colombia - El Bullerengue

Petrona Martínez, an emblematic figure of bullerengue (a rare exclusively female “sung dance” in Colombia) shows here all her talent as a folklorist: improvisation, a universe of superstitions and legends, a chronicle of local life –and always Africa in the background. During the religious festivals of St John and St Peter (24th and 29th of June), the pregnant women, concubines and unmarried mothers, who could not take part in the fandangos (popular dances), used to gather on a patio to “clap hands and beat drums”. One of them would sing, improvising verses, whilst the others would respond in chorus. Between the songs, the women would tell each other riddles and saucy jokes. During these evening parties, or bullerengue, ñeque (home-made sugar cane alcohol) would be drunk. The dates and places for these meetings were communicated discreetly between the bullerengueras belonging to the same “sistership”. Such were the origins of the bullerengue tradition. Throughout her artistic career Petrona Martínez has been nominated three times for the Latin Grammy Awards for the best folk album, winning in 2021 with Ancestras.