An unorthodox walk through new flamenco by way of nine portraits of figure,s…
Porro Made in Colombia
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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With the artictic advise of Ciro Guerra, singer and composer Adriana Lucía undertakes a multi-year musical journey to discover the origins of one of the most characteristic and lively rhythms of the Caribbean: Porro Hecho en Colombia.
From the Department of Córdoba, a mixture of races and culture, a land where everything is sung; from working at the ranch to the agriculture, during holidays and get togethers, through cowboy songs, bagpipe music, the leaf band, the champeta, jazz, Gypsy and Syrian-Lebanese cultural influences, a fusion of rhythms and cultures from which the Porro Hecho en Colombia draws today .
The film is a tribute to Porro and its links with other rhythms like bullerengue mapalé, and the fandango. Get to know the great Caribbean music, legendary performers, dancers and parades through the big screen accompanied by the spectacular voice and compositions of Adriana Lucía.
Citation
Main credits
Lucía López, Adriana (film director)
Lucía López, Adriana (screenwriter)
Corrales, Dilia Ma. (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Iván Peña.
Distributor subjects
Latin American Studies; Music; South America; Anthropology; Central America; Activism; Visual Arts; Women; Race + Ethnicity; BiographyKeywords
00:00:15.010 --> 00:00:30.984
...and here I came to sing, so that the pain will heal,
because I learned on my land that
everything is healthy singing.
00:00:38.992 --> 00:00:43.997
One does not choose where to be born and God
gave me the privilege of being born in Cordoba.
00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:52.005
on the bank of the Sinu River and bathed
by the immensity of the Caribbean sea.
00:00:53.006 --> 00:00:57.010
here, where there is no better
wedge than that suited.
00:00:57.010 --> 00:01:01.014
Where after the storm,
comes the calm
00:01:01.014 --> 00:01:04.017
and where the singing of swallows
announces the arrival of summer.
00:01:05.018 --> 00:01:09.982
where people, without knowing you,
in one night, recount their life.
00:01:11.984 --> 00:01:13.984
and when you leave, they cry like old friends.
00:01:14.984 --> 00:01:24.598
how the saying goes: the most beautiful
thing of one being born in good land, is not
leaving the good land, but remain on that good ground.
00:01:29.897 --> 00:01:32.984
I am going to tell you the story of how
Porro was made in Colombia.
00:01:33.005 --> 00:01:39.011
Because Porro is not only a musical rhythm,
but a way of loving and feeling
00:02:01.992 --> 00:02:05.996
-Jose Antonio, we are leaving
brother Juan, careful!
00:02:07.998 --> 00:02:09.583
In this land, everything is sung.
00:02:13.003 --> 00:02:22.012
Eeeee, eeeee the horse cowboy
eeeeee that goes herding the cows
00:02:23.013 --> 00:02:31.980
ÉThe bull calls the cow, the cow calls the calf
the calf calls the owner at the door.
00:02:38.987 --> 00:02:41.698
-Brother Juan, good morning
-Good morning, How are you?
00:02:41.990 --> 00:02:44.117
-Are you getting Reddy to cut the mountain?
00:02:44.409 --> 00:02:47.996
While working the field, they emit mountain cries.
00:02:57.005 --> 00:03:02.010
Pacha Perez is crying
Because they don't give her coffee
00:03:03.011 --> 00:03:07.516
Don't cry, don't cry to me Pacha
That I already ordered it.
00:03:09.017 --> 00:03:12.020
The cries of the mountain
are when you feel tired
00:03:12.980 --> 00:03:16.984
so you hear a cry of mountain
and get strong again.
00:03:18.986 --> 00:03:29.997
seek a bed for the mountain,
the mountain has no bed. The mountain's
bed is but eager, hard labor.
00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:36.003
Juan, my buddy.
Be ware of snakes, damn!
00:03:37.004 --> 00:03:43.010
At 5:00 am
Sing the bird (Ňcopeton rayadoÓ)
00:03:44.011 --> 00:03:48.015
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word is the great treasure that came from Spain.
00:03:49.016 --> 00:03:54.479
Decima is a kind of poetry that is done in 10 verses.
Vicente Espinel brought it to America.
00:03:54.980 --> 00:03:59.985
It is original from Andalusia
but farmers in my country
believe it was born here,
on the banks of the river Sinu.
00:04:00.986 --> 00:04:11.997
Decima is a legacy that mother Spain
left and stayed in my cabin as a noble stream.
00:04:12.998 --> 00:04:20.005
Because of its dwelling, it has a
huge cadence and the name it is given
00:04:21.006 --> 00:04:29.014
is Vicente Espinel's; and Raphael
sang it with Caribbean Indian blood.
00:04:31.016 --> 00:04:35.979
- My name is Jose Antonio Petro Doria,
the traditionalist, such a traditionalist!
00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:39.983
- My name is Juan de Jesus Durango Doria,
the son of the holy spirit.
00:04:40.984 --> 00:04:44.988
-My name is Lazaro Cantero Perez
ÁApurruyaya!
00:04:45.989 --> 00:04:56.708
- Decima is a poetic stanza that has ten verses
of eight phonetic syllables.
00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:12.015
It is very rigorous because each verse,
plus the eight phonetic syllables,
rhymes by consonants: the first with the fourth and fifth,
the second with the third.
00:05:13.016 --> 00:05:19.898
Better she dances fandango, porro, cumbia and vallenato,
to make me forget the time
00:05:19.982 --> 00:05:20.983
when I walked through mud.
00:05:21.984 --> 00:05:28.699
- Then the sixth with the seventh and the tenth;
and the eighth with the ninth.
00:05:28.991 --> 00:05:36.707
Better she keeps my feaster reputation
elevated and devotes to my love by
41
00:05:36.999 --> 00:05:42.004
giving me a few triplets;
if not like that then I don't want her.
42
00:05:43.005 --> 00:05:51.013
- For me, Decima is my identity card.
It is the greatest expression of emotion.
00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:08.989
Born in this city, a beautiful culture,
San Pelayo beats to the world and the nation
00:06:09.990 --> 00:06:17.998
In Pelayo there is an event of national character
with a cultural badge for an entire sector.
00:06:18.999 --> 00:06:26.006
Today brass music represents this region,
across the nation
and around the world
00:06:27.007 --> 00:06:29.009
because porro from Pelayo is what the people listen to.
00:06:30.010 --> 00:06:34.681
- Since there was no instrument as companion,
our farmers went
00:06:35.015 --> 00:06:43.690
with the best tool there is:
the human voice, while setting that jolly,
cadenced, sentimental accent.
00:06:43.982 --> 00:06:55.994
These are details of folklore
that uplift my soul
when breaking into the dawn,
I hear a drum sound
00:06:56.995 --> 00:07:05.003
So full of love and fully rendered,
singing with virtue these decimeros,
Pelayo that I love, Pelayo that I love,
in this emporium of virtue.
00:07:14.012 --> 00:07:17.683
- Unquestionably, the river was the way
through which the Decima arrived
00:07:18.016 --> 00:07:25.399
We have Sabana Nueva as an example,
the epicenter of the DŽcima in Cordoba
00:07:25.607 --> 00:07:32.281
a beautiful town, magical, picturesque,
on the bank of the river
with the largest number
00:07:32.614 --> 00:07:38.287
of exponents of the Decima in the area
and in Colombia, per say.
00:07:38.996 --> 00:07:46.003
-My mother had twenty-three birth and bore twenty-four children.
We were twenty-four siblings of the same mother and father.
00:07:47.004 --> 00:07:49.590
- All Decimeros or others dedicated toÉ?
00:07:50.007 --> 00:07:56.013
- The ones I knew, but I was the youngest
of that generation of people who lived
home with my parents.
00:07:57.014 --> 00:07:59.016
-How did the Petros family arrived to Sabana Nueva?
They are the founders of my town.
00:08:00.017 --> 00:08:08.192
- The Petros family came from a town called La Guama,
as well as the Perez family
00:08:08.692 --> 00:08:18.702
they arrived to the town Sabananueva,
then they started working the land and...
00:08:18.994 --> 00:08:21.997
-Make kids (laughs)
00:08:23.999 --> 00:08:27.211
- No Decimero refuses to sing when asked to.
00:08:27.503 --> 00:08:34.301
We are spontaneous, we volunteer,
we are men with sandals,
00:08:34.593 --> 00:08:46.188
with hats, with backpacks, Reddy
ready to express our feelings through
music, through song, through poetry.
00:08:45.979 --> 00:08:53.987
I say farewell
and give rest to my memory
I'm the Juan Doria,
San Pelayo am your son.
00:08:55.989 --> 00:08:58.992
I live very grateful
to have been born a Decimero
00:08:59.993 --> 00:09:10.003
because I can
sing and exalt you,
and ask all the listeners
to venerate the porro Pelayero.
00:09:11.004 --> 00:09:19.179
The film has ended
and your cruel spatula
deteriorated my face
leaving it in disfrace
00:09:19.513 --> 00:09:25.018
I live in the canicula
for your aromatic love
for which I have become an aficionado
00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:32.985
but you're so incredulous
that although I take you in my sack
you still treat me as indifference.
00:09:33.986 --> 00:09:37.990
- Thank you, an immense pleasure, and I want to tell the world:
this is the land of Cordoba.
00:09:38.991 --> 00:09:42.202
This is the land that one day
gave birth to Adriana Lucia
00:09:41.994 --> 00:09:51.003
This is the land of the famous traditionalist
of the famous Juan Doria;
The land of Apurruyaya, Lazaro Cantero
00:09:52.004 --> 00:09:57.009
Let the world distinguish this so the people utter:
Colombia, we are the Sinu.
00:09:58.010 --> 00:10:07.019
You fell in love with me when I sung
but this worries me because it makes you suffer.
00:10:08.020 --> 00:10:12.191
And now you want to go to sleep,
whether night or dawn,
00:10:12.482 --> 00:10:16.195
When I invite you to a party,
you always put me obstacles,
00:10:16.612 --> 00:10:21.200
and what you used to enjoy,
is what now troubles you.
00:10:21.617 --> 00:10:28.207
and what you used to enjoy,
is what now troubles you.
00:10:28.499 --> 00:10:32.211
and what you used to enjoy,
is what now troubles you.
00:10:32.503 --> 00:10:38.217
and what you used to enjoy,
is what now troubles you.
00:10:41.512 --> 00:10:48.519
You say I no longer love you
that it seems like I have changed
when I am not on your side
00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:50.020
you want me to go there fast
00:10:50.979 --> 00:11:00.989
and then you question me first: at whom was I staring,
then you keep complaining and start nagging.
00:11:02.991 --> 00:11:06.995
I will pack my suitcaseÉI want to keep singing.
00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:42.990
Because I am getting tirad
of dealing with your selfishness
and I don't feel the same
when you get jelous
00:11:43.991 --> 00:11:53.000
And I say it singing,
to see if you reason with me,
I gave you my heart
but youŐre mistreating it
00:11:54.001 --> 00:12:00.007
Don't come back pleading for me
to sing for you
00:12:01.008 --> 00:12:04.011
Don't come back pleading for me
to sing for you
00:12:05.012 --> 00:12:09.516
I'll pack my suitcase
I want to keep singing
00:12:10.017 --> 00:12:14.021
I'll pack my suitcase
I want to keep singing
00:12:25.991 --> 00:12:31.205
And when you ground yourself
and that cloud in your head vanishes
00:12:31.497 --> 00:12:37.002
and then you realize that love does not wait
wait and it's no longer possible to start over
00:12:49.014 --> 00:12:54.019
I'll pack my suitcase
I want to keep singing
00:12:55.020 --> 00:13:04.988
I'll pack my suitcase
I want to keep singing
00:13:05.989 --> 00:13:14.998
Look, I'll pack my suitcase
00:13:15.999 --> 00:13:24.007
to keep singing
00:13:31.014 --> 00:13:39.982
Caribbean music is born out of
mixed races: Indian, black and white.
00:13:41.984 --> 00:13:48.198
Porro is the musical rhythm that characterizes
us, the Cordovan, and although today
00:13:46.989 --> 00:13:53.203
we hear it played by brass bands,
it was formerly performed
00:13:53.495 --> 00:14:01.211
at the vocal dances. A free space
where singers accompanied by claps
00:14:01.503 --> 00:14:04.006
and drums sung to ease the pain.
00:14:06.008 --> 00:14:09.011
The land where I was born
00:14:10.012 --> 00:14:13.015
on the bank of the Caribbean Sea,
00:14:14.016 --> 00:14:18.020
The land where I was born
00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.983
Drums concert
You hear the sound coming
00:14:23.984 --> 00:14:32.993
along the Caribbean Sea
The land where I was born
along the Caribbean Sea
00:14:42.002 --> 00:14:45.005
Puerto Escondido sings,
dances and plays bullerengue.
00:14:46.006 --> 00:14:48.008
One of the sung dances of the
Colombian Caribbean.
00:14:56.016 --> 00:14:59.019
Early settlers who came
to this land were of African descent
00:15:00.979 --> 00:15:01.980
came from the island of Baru and
San Basilio de Palenque
00:15:02.981 --> 00:15:07.986
They carried on the tradition of the
male song or labor sung danced.
00:15:27.005 --> 00:15:30.092
When my mother died, Eloisa Garcel Ladeo,
Queen of bullerengue in Necocli,
00:15:30.509 --> 00:15:33.011
I came here
to Puerto Escondido.
00:15:34.012 --> 00:15:38.100
When I startedshe said
to me: I will let you sing
00:15:38.517 --> 00:15:43.981
and hope you're
the one to rescue me.
00:15:43.981 --> 00:15:49.987
She gave me her talent and her
voice, this is why I sing bullerengue.
00:15:51.989 --> 00:15:57.995
My plant has already die,
-my plant
00:15:58.996 --> 00:16:04.001
Tomorrow that I sang to it
- it returns to live
00:16:05.002 --> 00:16:09.006
Tomorrow that I sang to it
- it returns to live
00:16:11.008 --> 00:16:16.013
-There is a rythm base in bullerengue.
Our ancestors left us a legacy
00:16:16.305 --> 00:16:19.016
bullerengue was defined as a single element,
00:16:21.018 --> 00:16:25.981
a reposed rhythmic pace like a
cumbia beat they called 'settled.Ő
00:16:35.991 --> 00:16:43.499
- They also mentioned the porro,
which is properly the ÔsettledŐ bullerengue
00:16:43.999 --> 00:16:49.004
but a more rhythmic
long-winded; more a ritual than a feast.
00:16:51.006 --> 00:17:01.016
it returns to live Tomorrow that
I sang to it it returns to live
00:17:02.017 --> 00:17:05.020
My mother said goodbye
that's why She's not here
00:17:16.490 --> 00:17:19.201
- Other rhythms or rhythmic variations arrived later
on to Puerto Escondido, to the Uraba area
00:17:19.493 --> 00:17:23.997
and other parts of the mountains of Maria,
00:17:24.206 --> 00:17:29.002
such as the chalupa and the fandango.
00:17:31.004 --> 00:17:34.007
- Bullerengue is in my blood
so when I hear the drumbeats
00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:37.010
I start dancing on stage.
00:18:01.994 --> 00:18:06.999
We truly love our culture, especially the bullerengue
because it is our cultural identity
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:12.004
We want to broaden its reach throughout
Colombia and other countries.
00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:25.517
In this culture, women are authority, are the spine,
the givers of life, which forms, breeds, and sings.
00:18:26.018 --> 00:18:30.981
At these sung dances, women have a central role
since its origin,
00:18:31.398 --> 00:18:33.984
expecting women practiced this ritual.
00:18:34.985 --> 00:18:39.198
And unlike other rhythms of African origin,
the 'porroŐ or Ôsettled bullerengue',
00:18:39.489 --> 00:18:42.993
being a cadenced pace, allowed them
to move their hips
00:18:43.494 --> 00:18:46.997
without affecting the being
that was in gestation.
00:18:55.005 --> 00:19:00.010
If god ask me where I would like to be born?
00:19:02.012 --> 00:19:08.018
The cheerful drum, or female, is the dominant instrument.
The woman dances to whoever plays the drum
00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:14.983
while the man, with his sound, gets her to bow whilst
the woman brings out her whole repertoire and dexterity.
00:19:15.984 --> 00:19:21.990
The skirt suggests the parts that give life from woman
the breast, the belly and hips.
00:19:25.994 --> 00:19:32.998
The male dancer enters and tries to steal the attention
of the female dancer, distracting her from the
drum he will conquer her.
00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:35.427
It is a challenge between man and drummer;
it is a dance of infatuation.
00:19:45.013 --> 00:19:52.020
- I am from C—rdoba and carry
bullerengue in my blood and veins.
00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:58.986
Come back in June and youŐll see what it
feels to dance and sing bullerengue.
00:20:31.018 --> 00:20:35.981
The sung dances, when mixed with the gaitas
are the closest predecessor of the porro.
00:20:36.481 --> 00:20:40.986
and the outdoor feasts chased
away the pains and fatigue.
00:20:41.987 --> 00:20:44.990
Drums were made of tree
trunks and animal skins
00:20:44.990 --> 00:20:47.993
while the gaitas
a pre-Columbian instrument
00:20:48.994 --> 00:20:51.997
of indigenous Caribbean origin,
were done from reeds that grow in the forest.
00:20:53.999 --> 00:21:00.005
- They must be the most beautiful group
who after their eighty something years,
00:21:01.006 --> 00:21:06.011
still retains its name:
The Flower of Joy.
00:21:06.011 --> 00:21:10.015
- My name is Pedro Arque D’az
00:21:12.017 --> 00:21:15.979
- Antonio Alvarez, I play guache
00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:20.984
- Adolfo Ortega, I play the short gaita.
00:21:24.988 --> 00:21:29.493
- It was a big movement
00:21:29.993 --> 00:21:37.000
in our time the gaita was big. Ever since we
were we kids, we wanted to go out to listen
00:21:38.001 --> 00:21:40.003
because back then you didnŐt
go out like today.
00:21:41.004 --> 00:21:43.006
- They have a strong tradition.
00:21:44.007 --> 00:21:47.219
They carry a superb tradition: Maestro
Adolfo learned from his uncle
00:21:47.511 --> 00:21:56.019
who learned from his grandfather. It is a uninterrupted
line of tradition that comes from the nineteenth century.
00:21:57.980 --> 00:22:05.988
- We played all sorts of sounds
back in the day:
00:22:06.989 --> 00:22:11.994
sapo, la oreja de perra, la puya
del Diablo from all areas.
00:22:13.996 --> 00:22:16.999
- In the state of C—rdoba we have
a dominant influence from the little that was left,
00:22:17.499 --> 00:22:23.005
of the legacy Sinu.
I would say that
00:22:23.505 --> 00:22:27.009
the gaita is a survivor of the
cultural massacres committed here
00:22:27.384 --> 00:22:30.012
and that it is a very important
instrument here in our region.
00:22:46.486 --> 00:22:51.992
A traditional gaita has a cylinder body
made of a cactus called pitahya.
00:22:52.993 --> 00:22:58.999
The upper part is made of beeswax
with grounded burnt charcoal
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:05.005
and a traditional duck
feather on the center.
00:23:16.016 --> 00:23:20.979
- The traditional way
of manufacturing,
00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:23.982
was based on the body measurements
of the manufacturer,
00:23:24.983 --> 00:23:28.987
therefore, a long gaita was measured
from the center of the chest
00:23:34.993 --> 00:23:38.997
to the tip of the middle finger, and the short gaita
measured two fourths and 4 fingers.
00:23:39.998 --> 00:23:46.004
The pitch of the instrument was linked
to the anatomy of the manufacturer.
00:23:46.505 --> 00:23:54.012
We started looking for a table of measures
to narrow the gaita in precise tones.
00:24:10.988 --> 00:24:16.994
- It makes me sad to see me almost alone
00:24:17.494 --> 00:24:20.706
because my partners have been dying.
00:24:20.998 --> 00:24:26.712
- I am the oldest one,
00:24:27.004 --> 00:24:31.717
there are even some that walk
half bent, even myself.
00:24:32.009 --> 00:24:35.012
but I seem straighten up
00:24:36.013 --> 00:24:42.019
I don't remember I am going to die in a while
but I wonŐt remind you either.
00:24:47.983 --> 00:24:50.485
My father tells me that as a kid,
00:24:50.986 --> 00:24:52.988
gypsies came to my town
equipped with their tents
00:24:53.989 --> 00:24:57.993
that later served as projector
for the Mexican films of the era.
00:24:59.995 --> 00:25:03.499
In Colombia there are 4,850 gypsies
based on the national census.
00:25:09.004 --> 00:25:11.006
Seventy of them live in Cordoba and although they
no longer live in tents, they remain a traveling community.
00:25:17.012 --> 00:25:21.683
- In terms of state, we Cordoba,
in terms of region, the Sinu,
00:25:22.017 --> 00:25:25.979
we are very open because
00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:28.482
because we have many influences
00:25:28.982 --> 00:25:34.696
Many people travel through,
our land and we share with them,
00:25:34.988 --> 00:25:40.702
interact with them,
we are an open community.
00:25:40.994 --> 00:25:48.001
Now, that does not mean we do not have an
identity. Our identity is that, free.
00:25:49.002 --> 00:25:53.006
For example the Gypsy:
00:26:00.514 --> 00:26:05.018
- My language is called Shibromani,
original of the north of India.
00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:09.982
- A gypsy from Sinu?
Where do you see that?
00:26:10.983 --> 00:26:15.988
This is of most interest for us.
00:26:15.988 --> 00:26:24.997
- The low Sinu has always had many horses,
a rich livestock, so our ancestors
00:26:26.999 --> 00:26:32.212
settled in the Sinu
with the horse Business,
00:26:32.588 --> 00:26:35.007
buying and selling horses.
00:26:54.985 --> 00:26:58.989
We traveled to Lomo de bestia from one
place to another, we camped in a paddock,
00:26:59.990 --> 00:27:05.996
we made our tents, amare cheri
00:27:06.997 --> 00:27:11.001
and in the afternoon we played
guitar with our grandfather.
00:27:11.502 --> 00:27:14.713
There is a popular song well sung
00:27:15.005 --> 00:27:20.010
by almost all the gypsies of the world
(gipsy singing)
00:28:03.011 --> 00:28:10.018
My soul aches, My soul aches
for I saw you walk away
00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:18.986
My soul aches, My soul aches
for I saw you did not return
00:28:19.403 --> 00:28:26.994
My soul aches, My soul aches
because it is bruised
00:28:27.411 --> 00:28:36.003
My soul aches, My soul aches
I knew you will not return.
00:28:37.004 --> 00:28:47.014
Boy, I sing my grief today
to see if I can console my tears.
00:28:48.015 --> 00:28:56.982
Boy, your red lips,
in your pretty eyes I want to stay.
00:28:57.983 --> 00:29:05.991
That morning at the Beach
your guitar sang me
00:29:06.492 --> 00:29:15.000
and in my head, I was your princess
and believed in your melody.
00:29:23.383 --> 00:29:32.017
My soul aches, My soul aches
and I knew you would give up.
00:29:33.018 --> 00:29:41.985
Boy, I sing my grief today
to see if I can console my tears.
00:29:42.986 --> 00:29:52.496
Boy, your red lips,
in your pretty eyes I want to stay.
00:29:52.996 --> 00:29:59.002
And your heart has changed
you've changed, now is of cedar
00:29:59.503 --> 00:30:07.010
It is made of stiff cedar,
because my kisses, it has forgotten.
00:30:29.992 --> 00:30:40.002
Boy, I sing my grief today
to see if I can console my tears
00:30:41.003 --> 00:30:50.012
Boy, your red lips
in your pretty eyes I want to stay.
00:30:54.016 --> 00:31:02.983
I will stay
I will stay
00:31:05.986 --> 00:31:11.992
- At El Carito, in San Pelayo,
in Lorica, there is the world,,
00:31:12.493 --> 00:31:16.997
just that we donŐt see it some times,
but we are in the world.
00:31:17.498 --> 00:31:22.002
How we are in the world?
When we listen to porro,
00:31:22.503 --> 00:31:23.003
we see the world;
in holds elements of the world.
00:31:28.008 --> 00:31:33.680
Santa Cruz de Lorica is located in the lowest part
of the Sinu River, very close to the Caribbean Sea.
00:31:34.014 --> 00:31:36.016
It was the Port of the old state of Bolivar.
00:31:37.017 --> 00:31:41.480
Its history is reflected in the mix of traditional
families of Cartagena and the Lebanese
00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:44.983
and immigrants who arrived in
search of new horizons.
00:31:53.992 --> 00:32:04.419
In 1890 my grandfather came to Colombia.
His name was Moises Jattin and
arrived here, in Lorica.
00:32:06.004 --> 00:32:09.508
Lorica is one of the towns
declared cultural heritage of Colombia.
00:32:10.008 --> 00:32:14.012
It is impossible to get to the market
without enjoying its rich gastronomy.
00:32:17.516 --> 00:32:22.020
A mixture of typical regional flavors
and spices and condiments that came
00:32:22.479 --> 00:32:24.982
to this land across the river.
00:32:32.990 --> 00:32:37.995
-Every day the main dish is the fish stew,
stewed chicken, and beef stewed.
00:32:39.997 --> 00:32:47.004
- What do you have for today?
Stewed chicken, fish stew, fried fish,
beef stew what would you have?
00:32:54.011 --> 00:33:01.018
The city is old and stately, the land of David
S‡nchez Juliao, Manuel Zapata Olivella,
00:33:01.518 --> 00:33:05.981
El Flecha y Abraham Al Humor,
better known as Saudi Lorica.
00:33:06.481 --> 00:33:12.488
-The 30s was the period with the
the largest number of Arabs residing in Lorica.
00:33:12.988 --> 00:33:18.994
between the 30s and 50s is when we see
mayor nśmero de ‡rabes aqu’ en Lorica.
00:33:40.516 --> 00:33:46.980
-The rivers and the sea are the doors
that connect us to the world.
00:33:55.989 --> 00:34:07.000
I came here to ask for your forgiveness,
to sing you the songs I compose for you
00:34:07.292 --> 00:34:20.013
And this is why I am here, to tell you how I feel;
with my songs I don't pretend to hold you next to me
00:34:21.014 --> 00:34:29.982
And even after everything that has happened,
our great love withstood,
00:34:31.984 --> 00:34:41.994
I'm sorry for all the damage I've caused,
so I come to ask for your mercy.
00:34:42.995 --> 00:34:50.002
I want to write you the most beautiful songs,
those born at dawn,
00:34:50.502 --> 00:34:59.011
too ease your agony
I want to write you sublime melodies,
00:34:59.511 --> 00:35:07.519
in the ear sing to you, so you know
what I have suffered, since I lost you
00:35:08.020 --> 00:35:13.984
I was lost and adrift.
00:35:21.992 --> 00:35:32.002
Since you're not here the house got bigger
all I do is think of you but I know I lost you.
00:35:32.503 --> 00:35:44.014
That's why I'm here, to ask you to return
because in my soul everything grows; this song is for you
00:35:45.015 --> 00:35:55.984
And although everything here is ill treated,
love never fails to be,
00:35:56.985 --> 00:36:06.495
despite the time that has past
I dream that one day you will want to return.
00:36:06.995 --> 00:36:15.003
I want to write you the most beautiful songs,
those born at dawn
00:36:15.504 --> 00:36:23.512
too ease your agony
I want to write you sublime melodies
00:36:24.012 --> 00:36:32.020
in the ear sing to you, so you know
what I have suffered; since I lost you
00:36:32.312 --> 00:36:38.694
And here I come to sing,
to heal the pain
00:36:38.986 --> 00:36:45.993
because I learned back in my country
everything is healthy singing
00:36:48.996 --> 00:36:54.001
The most beautiful songs
which are born at dawn
00:36:54.501 --> 00:37:03.010
to ease your agony.
I want to write you sublime melodies
00:37:03.510 --> 00:37:13.020
in the ear sing to you, so you know
what I have suffered; since I lost you
00:37:44.009 --> 00:37:49.681
In the reef knot of Paramiyo, there
at the top of Tucura, is born, erect, the Sinś river
00:37:50.015 --> 00:37:53.018
and dies at Cipata Bay.
00:37:57.981 --> 00:38:02.986
And right here in Cispat Bay at the
mouth of the Sinu River is San Antero
00:38:03.487 --> 00:38:06.990
a Caribbean town
living from fishing and tourism
00:38:07.491 --> 00:38:09.284
where one learns to dance
before to speak.
00:39:13.015 --> 00:39:16.393
As long as there are drums, dance
never ends and where there is Africa and drums
00:39:16.685 --> 00:39:21.398
there is mapale: and where there is Africa
and the Caribbean, there is champeta.
00:40:06.485 --> 00:40:13.283
- As we are next to the seashore, we feel Ôla champeta,Ő
it vibrates like the ocean waves.
00:40:15.994 --> 00:40:18.997
I want to feel you in my bones,
That your kisses devour me.
00:40:19.414 --> 00:40:23.001
Go beyond the death
and nothing else.
00:40:29.007 --> 00:40:35.013
And with you Martina La Peligrosa,
Áchampetea marti, champetea!
00:40:36.014 --> 00:40:38.016
Come, come, come, come
00:42:04.019 --> 00:42:08.982
- As of 6 months pregnancy
children begin to jump inside the womb
00:42:09.483 --> 00:42:13.987
they can hear the music
they vibrate with it.
00:43:24.016 --> 00:43:31.982
You are more than what I was looking for.
You are more than what I was looking for.
00:43:32.399 --> 00:43:38.989
I know you are more than what I was looking for.
I know you are more than what I was looking for.
00:43:39.990 --> 00:43:43.494
A bit of tenderness
don't stop looking at me
00:43:43.994 --> 00:43:47.998
You broke my string
You came to save me.
00:43:48.707 --> 00:43:51.502
A bit of tenderness,
I keep thinking about you.
00:43:52.002 --> 00:43:55.297
I have loved you dearly
You came to save me.
00:43:55.714 --> 00:44:02.012
You are more than what I was looking for.
You are more than what I was looking for
00:44:03.013 --> 00:44:10.979
I know you are more than what I was looking for.
I know you are more than what I was looking for.
00:44:19.988 --> 00:44:23.492
A bit of tenderness
donŐt stop looking at me.
00:44:23.992 --> 00:44:26.995
You broke my string,
You came to save me.
00:44:27.496 --> 00:44:30.999
A bit of tenderness
I keep thinking about you
00:44:31.500 --> 00:44:35.295
I have loved you dearly
You came to save me.
00:44:35.712 --> 00:44:42.719
You are more than what I was looking for.
You are more than what I was looking for.
00:44:43.011 --> 00:44:51.019
I know you are more than what I was looking for.
I know you are more than what I was looking for.
00:45:11.999 --> 00:45:16.003
The resentful wisdom of the Amerindians,
00:45:18.005 --> 00:45:20.007
the nostalgic joy of the black,
00:45:22.009 --> 00:45:24.011
and the elegant arrogance of the white
00:45:29.308 --> 00:45:34.021
forged for centuries -amid traditions, wars, and feasts- a pace
that would become the true portrayal of the spirit of an entire region.
00:45:38.984 --> 00:45:48.994
- Porro is the original musical air of Colombian Caribbean
that brings about social life and celebration.
00:45:49.995 --> 00:45:52.998
This is why, by no means, you will ever hear of
an individual who has shot himself listening to porro.
00:46:07.513 --> 00:46:11.016
-I say, no sir, ÁPorro!,
You mean marijuana in Colombia? No!
00:46:12.017 --> 00:46:16.980
- In C—rdoba, as in the Sinu, when we say porro,
we talk about music, celebration, joy.
00:46:17.689 --> 00:46:21.485
It has nothing to do with marijuana
or anything of that sort.
00:46:28.992 --> 00:46:32.996
The black porro relocates to blunt instruments that
arrived in Europe with the bands of war.
00:46:34.998 --> 00:46:40.003
The voices were silenced, giving way to deep
melodies and harmonies that adorn
00:46:40.504 --> 00:46:46.301
so that dancers, who with hat in hand and
lit candles, could find a new path in it.
00:46:51.014 --> 00:46:54.518
Porro is a musical space
with mixed feelings.
00:46:55.018 --> 00:47:03.694
- this produces two or three tempos:.
one demonstrative, with leaps and jumps,
and another more reassured, followed
by a more ceremonious one.
00:47:10.993 --> 00:47:16.999
The band of musicians from Sinu
interprets it one-way:
00:47:17.416 --> 00:47:24.006
honoring the European music
with an initial dance.
00:47:39.980 --> 00:47:45.986
- and then comes the development of porro
which is a series of questions and answers.
00:48:08.509 --> 00:48:16.683
- and then there is an intervention
to prevent
00:48:17.017 --> 00:48:21.688
the initial ecstasy, is like a small
bridge consisting of 8 bars
00:48:21.980 --> 00:48:26.985
that gives way immediately to the
tastiest part of the porro,
00:48:27.319 --> 00:48:29.488
which grandparents have
called it ÔbozaŐ.
00:49:03.689 --> 00:49:07.985
- and finally, the conclusi—n because
it can not stop there, it has conclude.
00:49:28.005 --> 00:49:35.721
- starting with the groups of black choirs
gaitas, bands, orchestras and 4 proposals,
but it doesn't end there
00:49:58.994 --> 00:50:03.999
When you called I did not answer
I know you like me so call me again.
00:50:04.291 --> 00:50:08.003
When you left, I went to look for you
when you came back I was working.
00:50:09.004 --> 00:50:14.009
You say you love me but sometimes you get upset
you get angry when I leave for a party.
00:50:14.301 --> 00:50:18.680
You are always asking if I love you
and all I want is a genuine love.
00:50:19.014 --> 00:50:23.685
Don't get upset or jealous,
all I want is forever to stay together.
00:50:24.019 --> 00:50:25.979
Come to me
and tell me when
00:50:26.980 --> 00:50:28.982
Come to me
I am waiting for you
00:50:51.505 --> 00:50:56.009
I went to look for you but did not find you
I know you came back but I became sick
00:50:56.301 --> 00:51:00.013
When you left, I went to look for you
when you came back I was singing.
00:51:01.682 --> 00:51:05.018
You say you love me but sometimes you get upset
you get angry when I leave for a party.
00:51:05.310 --> 00:51:11.316
You are always asking if I love you
and all I want is a genuine love.
00:51:11.608 --> 00:51:16.280
Don't get upset or jealous,
all I want is forever to stay together.
00:51:16.613 --> 00:51:18.198
Come to me
and tell me when
00:51:18.490 --> 00:51:20.993
Come to me
I am waiting for you
00:52:20.010 --> 00:52:26.016
- Porro does not originate within the bands nor
does what the bands perform is called porro.
00:52:27.017 --> 00:52:30.521
The regional bands, better
known as The Pelayeras,
00:52:30.979 --> 00:52:35.984
interpret various musical rhythms
such as porro, puya, cumbia and fandango.
00:53:10.686 --> 00:53:17.401
In these villages of trouble-free people,
regardless of age, everyone enjoys dancing
00:53:17.693 --> 00:53:20.612
and find in it living tenure.
00:53:20.988 --> 00:53:24.992
From an early age, they learn to keep
the living heritage of their grandparents
00:53:25.701 --> 00:53:27.995
and dance becomes a means of expression
00:53:28.996 --> 00:53:34.001
Sometimes it is not even necessary to look
at the sky to see the stars.
00:54:36.980 --> 00:54:40.984
In Cordoba, even the leaf of a tree
becomes a musical instrument.
00:54:42.986 --> 00:54:46.990
- My name is Ever Manuel Correa Galeano and this is The
Hojitas band from San Pelayo, Cordoba.
00:56:01.982 --> 00:56:07.988
- This is my philosophy: everything has to
change, to evolve
00:56:08.280 --> 00:56:14.995
Porro has to be a cultural element that changes
to the rhythm of the new generations,
00:56:15.412 --> 00:56:23.003
parallel with technology,
and progressing with humanityŐs transformations.
00:56:51.990 --> 00:56:56.495
-Porro and jazz comes
from the land itself; there is a river
00:56:56.995 --> 00:56:59.498
the mouth of the Sinś
river to the sea;
00:57:00.707 --> 00:57:05.003
we boast African influences,
European influence.
00:57:05.504 --> 00:57:08.006
They have the French and the English,
we have the Spanish,
00:57:08.298 --> 00:57:11.009
but in essence, it was African.
00:57:33.000 --> 00:57:38.798
Here there was little influence of harmonic
Instruments but the part of the rhythm and
melody was greatly developed.
00:57:39.496 --> 00:57:49.006
However, jazz and porro have similarities
because both lend themselves to improvisation.
00:57:49.298 --> 00:57:50.007
It is the essence of our music.
00:57:50.716 --> 00:57:55.012
When you improvise on the
melody of the original porro,
00:57:55.304 --> 00:58:01.018
the scales that are used are also used
in jazz, and scales of blues are also included.
00:58:01.310 --> 00:58:06.690
That's when the real margin
between porro and jazz infringes.
00:58:06.982 --> 00:58:09.985
They are so combined that one
no does not know at what point they come apart.
00:58:35.010 --> 00:58:36.803
-When I put some of Chocolate
Armentero's recordings
00:58:37.012 --> 00:58:41.016
and improvisations, and then
00:58:41.183 --> 00:58:45.020
put Ricardo Hernandez to improvise in the
same key, I declared it the same.
00:58:45.979 --> 00:58:52.611
You put the hat the other uses to each one
00:58:52.986 --> 00:58:57.991
and it's the same.
00:58:58.200 --> 00:59:00.994
Wherever they are, there is no difference;
the same essence is shared.
00:59:01.411 --> 00:59:06.708
- When you look at the big Caribbean,
the Colombian Caribbean,
00:59:07.000 --> 00:59:14.007
I've always said it's like a big Bonaire where
the musical culture and the gastronomy are cooked.
00:59:14.508 --> 00:59:23.016
In this great fire the jazz
was born but also, porro.
00:59:23.517 --> 00:59:29.982
I mean, if you compare a jazz
band with Chirimiyas
00:59:30.315 --> 00:59:35.988
and our bands
a black trumpeter
00:59:36.405 --> 00:59:42.995
reminds you of whom? Well, of Louie Armstrong
and the of course, the devout singers
00:59:44.496 --> 00:59:49.293
from the southern region
of the United States.
01:00:04.016 --> 01:00:09.980
I say, we have to feed
our love for music
01:00:10.189 --> 01:00:14.985
so we it does not mislaid.
As the master Flores said:
01:00:12.816 --> 01:00:56.985
cause I've cried and I Ôl
wait for you and all will be fine.
01:00:15.986 --> 01:00:18.989
ŇDo not give me money, give me applause
01:00:19.990 --> 01:00:23.994
and show me that you have learned
with me; with that, you have paid me.Ó
01:00:37.007 --> 01:00:41.011
Hey, I'm looking at you and I'm dying
01:00:41.512 --> 01:00:47.017
and though you're gone,
I dream I can reach you.
01:00:49.019 --> 01:00:52.314
Tell me if this love is not serious,
01:00:58.987 --> 01:01:07.996
To see you again,
for everything could be just like the first time.
01:01:08.997 --> 01:01:19.007
To have you like this, so close to me
And start over, and feel again.
01:01:19.508 --> 01:01:29.017
For you have been the best of my path,
your humble love just fills me with happiness
01:01:30.018 --> 01:01:39.987
You have been the finest of my life,
my homeland alive, and the hope of my solitude.
01:01:40.988 --> 01:01:50.706
I want you to stay for just a little while
look into my eyes thereŐs no need to speak.
01:01:50.998 --> 01:02:01.008
Let my kisses restore past times
I want you to stay a little longer.
01:02:01.717 --> 01:02:11.018
Hey, I love you so much
I was prey to your charm and could no longer break free.
01:02:12.019 --> 01:02:21.987
Tell me you take me deep inside,
cause all I do is feel you are no longer here.
01:02:22.988 --> 01:02:31.997
To see you again,
for everything could be just like the first time.
01:02:32.998 --> 01:02:42.716
To have you like this, so close to me
And start over, and feel again
01:02:43.008 --> 01:02:53.018
For you have been the best of my path,
your humble love just fills me with happiness
01:02:54.019 --> 01:03:03.987
You have been the finest of my life,
my homeland alive, and the hope of my solitude.
01:03:04.988 --> 01:03:13.997
I want you to stay for just a little while
look into my eyes thereŐs no need to speak.
01:03:33.016 --> 01:03:42.985
For you have been the best of my path,
your humble love just fills me with happiness
01:03:53.996 --> 01:04:03.005
I want you to stay for just a little while
look into my eyes thereŐs no need to speak.
01:04:04.006 --> 10:04:15.000
Let my kisses restore past times
I want you to stay a little longer.
01:04:19.021 --> 01:04:21.982
- I'm the man of the Sinu river
which rises in Paramillo,
01:04:21.982 --> 01:04:24.985
product of a grand invention called love
01:04:25.986 --> 01:04:28.989
that taught us the
tradition of the flipped hat (vueltiao)
01:04:29.490 --> 01:04:32.993
that bestowed upon us all these nice things
so the man from the Sinś
01:04:33.285 --> 01:04:36.997
will never fear.
When fear approaches
01:04:37.498 --> 01:04:40.000
Oh my God! he poses the question:
is from this or from other?
01:04:40.292 --> 01:04:44.004
And if the answer from the other he says:
with three you have me and with three I will fright you
01:04:44.379 --> 01:04:47.007
Holy Saturday and Good Friday?
you are Christ or Cristobulo?
01:04:47.299 --> 01:04:51.011
You are either or are the cross or the slaves
who maddened God?
01:04:51.303 --> 01:04:55.015
And fear runs away for the man
of the Sinś is a man in love.
01:04:55.307 --> 01:04:57.684
My God! When he notices
a woman he exclaims:
01:04:58.018 --> 01:05:00.020
for her I will jump three times
and slip in the floor
01:05:00.187 --> 01:05:05.484
and with a fandango declares:
ŇI improved sales with just a crystal glass
01:05:05.692 --> 01:05:09.988
but none were bought for being too fine.Ó
Swiftly, then the woman falls in love,
01:05:10.405 --> 01:05:13.992
which is why he is not disgraced. And when
things get bad and there is a shortage of food,
01:05:14.284 --> 01:05:17.996
he does not get in trouble,
he shouts:
01:05:18.288 --> 01:05:23.001
Ňno matter which branch roars if the trunk is firm, no matter
if he was born with a plane nose if what you want is to breathe
01:05:23.293 --> 01:05:26.004
And have some coconut and rice, my ever-living GodÓ
01:05:26.296 --> 01:05:28.006
because that is us.
01:05:40.018 --> 01:05:44.982
Porro is also played at Fandangos.
Fandango is not only a musical rhythm
01:05:45.983 --> 01:05:50.988
but also a social event where
people dance around a band.
01:05:51.488 --> 01:05:56.994
The musicians play in the center
01:06:01.999 --> 01:06:06.003
and the couples dance around
counter clockwise.
01:06:07.004 --> 01:06:14.011
Well, perhaps to stop time, but here time
is not measured in minutes or seconds,
01:06:14.303 --> 01:06:16.305
time is measured in candles.
01:06:17.014 --> 01:06:20.017
When the man invites the woman to dance,
he asks her: ŇShall we dance a package of candles?Ó
01:06:21.018 --> 01:06:22.019
- ŇOkayÓ.
01:06:28.984 --> 01:06:29.485
Candles were used to lit the dances
because in the past
01:06:29.818 --> 01:06:34.990
there was no electricity and the feats
were done at night and outdoors.
01:07:03.018 --> 01:07:09.316
Our dance is about a man courting a woman
where the man displays a specific gesture:
he takes off his hat
01:07:09.608 --> 01:07:12.986
and throws it on the floor as if trying
to grab hold of the woman.
01:07:13.320 --> 01:07:17.991
It is improper for the woman
to leave when the man
01:07:18.283 --> 01:07:23.497
has rocked the hat on the floor. If this happens,
the relationship breaks apart and the dance ends.
01:07:23.997 --> 01:07:30.003
If she stays, it is a sign that things are going
very well and several candle boxes are left to burn.
01:07:51.984 --> 01:07:55.988
- I first met Antonio Lopez,
Adriana Lucia's father,
01:07:56.989 --> 01:08:02.995
A hidden Composer
on the banks of the Sinu.
01:08:09.501 --> 01:08:15.007
I am involved in a cultural event for which I once
composed a porro; I gave it to Adriana Lucia for her to learn,
01:08:15.299 --> 01:08:22.014
to compete at a festival of unreleased songs.
01:08:23.015 --> 01:08:29.021
- And what's the name of the song? It is named Porro Bonito
I asked him: Pretty like you? No, like my daughter
01:08:29.313 --> 01:08:32.983
but I had never met Adriana Lucia.
And when the girl came out,
01:08:33.984 --> 01:08:36.987
there were no handkerchief
lefts on our pockets,
01:08:37.321 --> 01:08:40.991
everybody in the audience was
waving them up, clapping
01:08:41.992 --> 01:08:47.998
even the lights were turned off
while the lit paper lamps were
released in the air.
01:08:48.999 --> 01:08:57.007
Adriana Lucia sung magically and conquered
everybody's hearts that night.
01:08:57.299 --> 01:09:02.304
With this porro I want to express,
cheerful verses for my region,
01:09:02.679 --> 01:09:07.017
which since childhood have watched me sing,
beautiful songs for my folklore.
01:09:19.988 --> 01:09:25.994
With this porro I want to express,
cheerful verses for my region,
01:09:27.996 --> 01:09:34.002
which since childhood have watched me sing,
beautiful songs for my folklore.
01:09:36.004 --> 01:09:41.009
I sing to El Carito dearly,
beautiful town, my homeland.
01:09:42.010 --> 01:09:47.015
Listen to this Porro I will sing to you,
and gently I will dance.
01:09:48.016 --> 01:09:57.985
The cultural taste you have bestowed to your region,
that chicha's festival is paramount.
01:09:58.986 --> 01:10:09.496
Traditions revive, lost folk,
and so this pleasant land in Colombia is known.
01:10:09.997 --> 01:10:21.008
Beautiful town I will sing to you,
beautiful Porro I will dance to you.
01:10:55.000 --> 01:11:01.006
To El Carito I want to sing today,
with joy and with great emotion.
01:11:03.008 --> 01:11:10.015
All your affable people,
live to honor our folklore.
01:11:12.017 --> 01:11:17.481
For the coming year I long the festival,
dancing Porro I will compete
01:11:17.981 --> 01:11:22.986
drinking chicha in my homeland, until dawn.
Long live my land!
01:11:23.987 --> 01:11:33.997
This is how I will shout!
The bull and the carnival and its reign
01:11:34.998 --> 01:11:47.010
Long live the decimeros who come to sing!
I love you my people and long live your festival!
01:11:55.018 --> 01:11:59.982
I was born in El Carito. I left my town
with the desire to show the world how we love,
01:12:00.983 --> 01:12:03.986
how we feel here. And as the
poet in the Sinu Valley,
01:12:04.987 --> 01:12:09.992
I too dreamed of taking Cordoba, my village,
printed on white paper to people from
01:12:10.993 --> 01:12:16.999
other parts of the world so they could experience
its starry nights filled with candles and fandango.
01:12:18.000 --> 01:12:26.008
Here, I learned to dance and to dream; in this land that always,
always, grants me its breath to sing with the soul.
01:12:46.987 --> 01:12:47.988
No one is capable of loving the unknown
01:12:48.489 --> 01:12:54.703
and to have met the lives of so many anonymous
artists who lay their feelings on each verse,
01:12:54.995 --> 01:13:01.418
each melody, and every movement, is to Discovery
that music is a reflection of their craft.
459
01:13:50.008 --> 01:13:57.516
I did not choose where to be born, God chose for me
and everything revolves around a purpose, a mission.
01:13:58.016 --> 01:14:02.020
We do not sell songs
with songs we narrate the stories of the
01:14:02.312 --> 01:14:04.982
Porro Made In Colombia.
Distributor: Pragda Films
Length: 75 minutes
Date: 2015
Genre: Expository
Language: Spanish
Grade: Middle School, High School, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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