Abdiel Valdez discusses the relationship between Barrio Fino and the Music School/ La Escuelita Del Ritmo.
Abdiel Valdez shares some of the long-term goals of Barrio Fino, which include using participation in the group to help members become stronger musicians by expanding their skill set and gaining greater tools for cultural expression.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses her earliest encounters with Portobelo and how the generous acts of a man from the French Antilles named Dorcy caused her to settle and work in Portobelo.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses her experiences entering Portobelo as an outsider and the ways in which the children of the town served as a bridge to integrate her into the community.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta shares her first impressions of the Congo tradition of Portobelo and how she became exposed to it through a Congo practitioner named Longaniza and his daughter Paloma.
In this excerpt, Sandra Eleta discusses the founding and operation of Taller Portobelo Women’s Cooperative, a textile-arts workshop for local women.
In this excerpt, Maestro Andrés discusses the changes he witness in the tradition after the advent of “the road.” He especially focuses on the changes he has seen with respect to the devil character.
In this excerpt, he discusses his favorite childhood memories of the tradition when the town was more isolated and Congo communities visited each other via boat during carnival season.
In this excerpt, Maestro Andrés discusses the impact of tourism on the tradition, including the monetization of various aspects and changes in costuming. In describing the current tradition, he references the impact of the “the road” on the town. At this point in the recording, the tape appears to have sped up causing distortion.