Barranquilla lives its first major Carnival event after the pandemic

Barranquilla (Colombia), 18 Mar With the traditional Guacherna parade, in which more than ten thousand dancers from folklore groups, cumbiambas, drums and costumes participate, the Colombian city of Barranquilla holds its first massive Carnival event this Friday after the covid-19 pandemic. A month after the date on which it was initially scheduled, due to the emergence of the omicron variant, the street parade presents as the main novelty that in order to attend it it is necessary to show the vaccination card with a complete scheme and have a mask despite the fact that it is an open air event. The Barranquilla Carnival, which in 2003 was recognized by UNESCO as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”, brings together emblematic expressions of the memory and identity of the Barranquilla people, the Colombian Caribbean and the Rio Grande de La Magdalena, and for their variety and cultural richness. As a preamble to the great Barranquilla Carnival party, which officially returns to presence next week (March 26-29), La Guacherna this year pays tribute to popular singer Aníbal 'Sensación' Velásquez, known as the “King of the Guaracha” and who has been producing carnival music for more than five decades. The Guacherna Parade was structured in 10 large blocks identified with the names of the best-known songs by Aníbal Velásquez, as well as the first block 'Carouseles', will be chaired by the Kings of the Children's Carnival 2022, Victoria Char Warner and Juan José Bermudez Utria. Carnival Queen Valeria Charris Salcedo and King Momo Kevin Torres Valdés will preside over the parade, accompanied by popular queens and folk groups as well as orchestras such as Fausto Chatela, Álvaro Ricardo, Orchestra La Renovación, Grupo Tambó, Giblack, Will Fiorillo, Nolan Orquesta and Son Caribe. La Guacherna has been part of the official program of the Barranquilla Carnival since 1974 thanks to the efforts of composer Esther Forero, but it originated at the beginning of the 20th century in Barrio Abajo, a sector recognized for being the epicenter of carnival activity and one of the first neighborhoods in the city of Barranquilla. According to the research of historians, the Barranquilla Carnival has a close precedent in the celebration that was held in Cartagena de Indias, at the time of the Colony, as a slave festival; at that time blacks appeared on the streets wearing typical instruments and special attire, dancing and singing. As the most important popular festival in Colombia, the Barranquilla Carnival annually brings together more than two million people who participate in the celebrations that are an event in which all the cultural varieties and folklore of the Caribbean region are expressed, as well as the most varied local events, such as music popular and dancing. CHIEF hpc/ime/lll