Thursday, October 9, 2014

Comprehension: Colombian Cumbia Conquers Latin America

Cumbia started life as rural Colombian folk music, but has since taken Latin America by storm, with electronic cumbia nights all the rage among Argentina's hipsters. 
Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Cumbia originated from a mix of Spanish and electronic music.
a. True
b. False



2. The latest hit of the group Los Wachiturros has been watched 18 million times on You Tube.
a. True
b. False

3.One of La Yegras’s “singles’ was chosen as one of the best songs in 2012 by France and Germany.
a. True
b. False



For transcript and answers see below.



Transcript and Answers:

Cumbia is Colombian folk music - born from the mix of sounds brought there by colonists from Spain and slaves from Africa.   It's played on a gaita - a sort of flute carved from the cactus plant - and drums.
 But cumbia's come a long way from its roots in the Colombian countryside - and is now all the rage here, thousands of miles away in Argentina.
 "At the beginning of the last decade, 2001, 2002, cumbia really started to catch on here, a genre appeared that seemed very shocking for the middle classes, cumbia villera, but cumbia existed and was popular before that"
 Cumbia villera - literally, slum cumbia - was created by young people in poor areas of Argentina's cities, mixing up the Colombian music with electronic beats.
 "Los Wachiturros", stars of the moment, make infectious dance music that hopes to overturn prejudices about inner-city young people.
 "They're just songs about having fun, dancing and meeting girls, having fun in a healthy way. Because, thank God, we have fun in a healthy way. We don't do drugs, we're not alcoholics, and we're not violent."
Their latest hit "Tirate un paso" has been watched 18 million times on YouTube.
 "Digital cumbia" is a more laid-back and musically sophisticated form - like La Yegros, a female singer influenced by folk rhythms, putting a different spin on cumbia's often macho lyrics.
 "It's often about a strong man, and the woman, hanging around admiring him, and I like occupying that space where you, the woman, can also be strong, you can transmit all your energy, all your power from the stage"
La Yegros has even started to win over fans in Europe - her single "Viene de Mi" was picked as one of the best of 2012 by music critics in France and Germany.
Whether it's her more relaxed style or cumbia villera's rap-influenced beats that get people moving, it's clear that cumbia has conquered Latin America's dancefloors.




Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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