| Carnival
in Colombia
The carnival in Colombia introduced by the Spaniards. The Colombian
carnival has incorporated elements from European culture, and has
managed to syncretise, or re-interpret, traditions that belonged
to the African and Amerindian cultures of Colombia. There is documentary
evidence that the carnival existed in Colombia in the XVIII century
and had already caused concern to the colonial authorities, who
censored the celebrations, especially in the mains centers of power
such as Cartagena, Bogotá and Popayán. The carnival,
therefore, continued its evolution and re-interpretation in the
small and at that time unimportant towns where celebrations did
not offend the ruling elites. The result was the uninterrupted celebration
of carnival festivals in Barranquilla (Barranquilla Carnival), and
other villages along the lower Magdalena River in northern Colombia,
and in Pasto, Nariño (Blacks and Whites Carnival) in the
south of the country. In modern times, there have been attempts
to introduce the carnival in the capital, Bogotá, in the
early XX century, but it has always failed to gain the approval
of authorities. The Bogota Carnival has had to wait until the XXI
century to be resurrected, this time, by the authorities of the
city. |
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