The The Ministry of Culture has declared the Cultural Heritage of the Nation al Creole music and singing: knowledge, practices and spaces of transmission in the Lima metro and in the constitutional province of Callaofor having constituted a musical culture built by popular sectors of the mestizo, Afro-descendant and migrant population during a historical process, extended from the end of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, as a result of which it took shape, which today is considered one of the main constituent elements of the country’s musical identity.
The declarative draws attention to the complexity of speaking Creole music and song, as it combines two aspects. On the one hand, the cultural industry that has been shaped around its production, diffusion and consumption. And, on the other hand, the knowledge, practices and spaces of transmission, who have defined it as a manifestation of intangible cultural heritagearticulating a vibrant community of vectors.
As for the carrier community, the key role it plays in safeguarding and ensuring the validity of the Creole music and song through more than a century of history, in the midst of its ups and downs within the music industry and the constant transformations of the Peruvian sound scene. A community of wearers made up of a diverse set of actors, including authors, composers, musicians, artists, artists, producers, promoters, collectors, researchers and even producers of musical instruments.
As regards the territorial scope, it is recognized that the term Creole music and song It usually refers to a repertoire heard and broadcast nationally and internationally. However, and as a manifestation of the intangible cultural heritage, attention is drawn to Lima and Callao, as initial nuclei of practice, given the importance these spaces had in the creation of musical genres, repertoires and styles that would eventually be identified as Creole.
In this sense, the impostor or Creole waltzthe sailor of Lima and the polka are recognized as a core of distinctive musical genres of the Creole music and song. Being the construction of creole waltz, the social phenomenon that gave it an articulating element. However, it is recognized that, around these genres, others orbit also practiced by the communities of porters of Lima and Callao, and that they are associated with other territorial spaces and sectors of population on the coast of the country.
These include, for example, the round and the sailor Man in its northern variants; popular traditions of sung poetry such as the from above or the amorphine; and genres related to Afro-descendant inhabited centers that have been the subject of processes of recovery, revitalization and reinvention such as Zamacuecathe dance ground or mockerythe celebration, among others. It is worth remembering that some of these genres have already been declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation.
In addition to genres, the statement highlights the collective musical practices that distinguish the Creole music and song and which include jaranas, serenades, pilgrimages and even the accompaniment of popular religious festivals. All this highlights its interrelation with the daily dynamics, the life cycle and the identity of its bearers, beyond the construction of musical tastes or preferences.
The transmission of this complex set of knowledge and practices would not have been possible if the carrier community of Lima and Callao had not modeled the transmission spaces. Therefore, the declaration makes a special mention of the network of spaces that have historically contributed to the formation of the Creole music and songwhich include from the most daily ones such as parties in houses and alleys, to the most institutional ones such as cultural associations, clubs, academies and the emblematic musical cultural social centers.
It is important to underline that this declaration was made possible thanks to the coordinated effort of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima, through its Municipal Program for the Recovery of the Historic Center of Lima – PROLIMA, the technical support of the Ministry of Culture and, above all, the participation of the communities of bearers through almost 20 working groups and the participatory formulation of a Safeguard plan in the course of 2021.
The declaration of Creole music and singing: knowledge, practices and spaces of transmission in the Lima metro and in the constitutional province of Callaoissued today with Deputy Ministerial Resolution no. 000225-2022-VMPCIC / MC, takes place almost 80 years after the establishment of October 31st Creole Song Day, with Supreme Resolution in 1944.
Previously, the The Ministry of Culture has carried out actions for the promotion and enhancement of this important event. gave the Medal of Honor of the Peruvian Culture and recognized Personality of merit to culture about 70 exceptional figures and spaces of cryollism. He has published 4 books on the Creole vals, on the Lima marinera and on the life and musical work of Chabuca Granda and Alicia Maguiña.
Declared Cultural heritage of the Nation to the musical works of important Creole composers such as Felipe Pinglo Alva, Eduardo Márquez Talledo, Manuel Raygada Ballesteros, Augusto Polo Campos and Chabuca Granda. Organized 4 editions of Meetings of the Music Centers. And made in 2018, the Conference with the Creole music sectoras a space to reflect on current problems and future challenges for the Creole music and song.
