Today’s Video: Totó La Momposina

We took Wednesday off from our daily video but tonight we continue our look at musicians specializing in Colombian music.

Her birth name is Sonia Bazanta Vides yet early on she adopted the name Totó La Momposina as an homage to the town of her birth along the Magdalena River. The 69-year-old helped bring Afro-Colombian music into prominence not only in her native country but also for the world to hear:

“Where there is common people’s music there’s always the tendency by the institutions and even the social structure to hide the música de la identidad (identity music),” La Momposina said, explaining her pioneering role with Colombia’s Afro-Caribbean sounds.

“The drums were (hidden) in the attics of all the homes on the Caribbean coast, and I did the work of bringing out those drums.”

The following is a trailer of a phenomenal documentary on Totó La Momposina explores her music and how she tries to instill her culture to younger generations:

Toto will be performing on August 7th in New York City and August 9th in San Francisco.

Online Sources- YouTube, Totó La Momposina’s website, New York Daily News, Stern Grove Festival, Queens Gazette