Colombia – preserving Afro Carribbean Culture through song | Lawyers Demonstrate Critical Demand for Gender-Responsive Criminal Justice Reform

Scenes from a rehearsal session with ColombiaÕs Cantadora Network, a network of singers using traditional Afro-Colombian music to preserve their culture and promote peace. Supported by a UN Women programme, the Cantadoras have engaged young people in the port city of Tumaco, Colombia where decades of armed conflict have torn apart communities, and peace is still a long journey.

Tumaco is a major producer of coca leaves, and a hub for drug trafficking. Decades of armed conflict and violence triggered by the drug trade has torn apart families and communities. As part of UN WomenÕs ÒWomen Peacebuilders ProgrammeÓ, funded by the Government of Norway, UN Women supports the CANAPAVI Foundation thatÕs strengthening the capacities of women cantadoras to highlight and preserve their role as peacebuilders through traditional Afro-Colombian music.

Pictured: Mila Rodriguez, 18, plays the marimba, an instrument used in traditional Afro-Colombian music. “When I listen to a drum, I feel like itÕs calling my name. This music is in my veins.”

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Read More: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2018/8/from-where-i-stand-mila-rodriguez

Hear More: http://www.unheardwomen.org

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