WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas
10 Sep 2014 | Video

Promoting Peace in Colombia Through Hip-Hop

This event took place at WOLA on September 11, 2014

The Washington Office on Latin America, Global Rights, and the National Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) are pleased to host

Explosión Negra

Jhon Harrinson Palacios Sánchez
Director and Vocalist

Lino Agualimpia Murillo
Rapper and Percussionist

Dilma Luz Mosquera Rodríguez
Choral vocalist

Jeffrey Scott Guerra
DJ

Ángela María Olguín
Communications

Jahir Córdoba Escobar
Vocalist

And moderator

Gimena Sánchez
Senior Associate for the Andes, WOLA

9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Washington Office on Latin America
1666 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009

Explosión Negra (Black Explosion) interprets fusions of urban music ranging from hip hop and reggae to dance hall and raggamurphy, mixing it with traditional Afro-Colombian Pacific coast and African cultural rhythms, including the currulao, chirimía, alabao, pastillo, and jota. The group has worked with this type of fusion for five years, seeking to recover their ancestral afrodescendant culture and combine it with modern urban rhythms. Their work offers a way to combat racism, violence, and exclusion in their societies as well, offering alternatives to conflict for young men and women along Colombia’s Pacfic coast.

The group will present their work and explain how it has been influenced by their experience being displaced by the conflict. They will outline how the music has offered a sustainable way to survive in the city and present a sample of their work, as well as how it can continue to engage Colombia’s youth.

Click here to view a music video of Explosión Negra’s Dolor y Sufrimiento.