The story
National Cumbia Festival in El Banco
Founded in 1970 by composer Jose Barros to preserve the folk traditions of Colombia's Magdalena River region, El Banco's cumbia festival was formalised under its own governing corporation in 1991 and gained a national queen pageant in 1993. Declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2013, it showcases traditional gaita, drum and maraca ensembles in the river town credited as cumbia's place of origin.
El Banco's national cumbia festival exists because composer Jose Benito Barros Palomino, known simply as Jose Barros, wanted a dedicated event to preserve the autochthonous and folkloric customs of Colombia's Magdalena River region, an ambition finally realised in 1970 with help from collaborators including Nicanor Perez Cogollo, Alvaro Morales, Elias Lito Fraija and Emiliano Torres Torres, and the backing of then-mayor Jose de la Paz Vanegas.