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Life gives me time and again the possibility of witnessing the cultural mixture that identifies our peoples of America. The date of October 12th and its different interpretations translate into a propitious moment to reflect on this range of traditions so closely related.
If there is an example of belonging to a cultural expression in more than one country we find it in the tango. The pronouncement by Unesco, in September 2009, as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was celebrated with similar excitement in Argentina and Uruguay.
It emerged at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, was born as an expression of the fusion of elements of Afro-argentinan and Afro-uruguayan cultures, authentic Creoles and European immigrants. On both shores of Rio de la Plata is considered equally as one of the main signs of identity.
Another symbol that cultural manifestations connect indissolubly to our Latin American lands is found in Chile and Peru. The zamacueca - a popular and traditional dance that is performed in couples - gave rise to several current rhythms in each country. The cueca and the marinera, speak of a shared past. Venezuela and Colombia also take pride in being Joropo's cradles, a musical genre and a traditional dance.
To refer to music in the Central American area, we must take into account the marimba, a percussion instrument in which the sound is produced by beating wood sheets of different size and thickness with drumsticks. Every Central American who is asked can provide a different version of the origin of this instrument, because everyone is seeking to make it their own, they all feel it as something of their own, as an emblem of their nation.
In this brief look, part of how much we have in common, the peoples of America cannot fail to mention the bolero. The list of coincidences or similarities in our Latin American towns is very extensive and goes well beyond music and dance.