WOMAD

Petrona

From Colombia

Petrona is the most authentic african-american voice in the Caribbean. Daughter and granddaughter of Bullengueras, she learned this rhythm in an spontaneous way. All her songs are composed by her, and each of them reveals a bit of her life, a life that has been hard and difficult, ,but also filled with magic. Petrona knows well the prayers for the departure of the dead and those that as a midwife welcome the arrival of the newborns, experiences and knowledge that give strength and unique identity to her music. In 1999, at an age of 62, Petrona was recognized as Colombia´s revelation singer, becoming then the representative of the folklore of her country. Her album Le Bullengue is a collection of songs made for the traditional wake after a person´s death. Later on, she published in Colombia the album La Vida Vale la Pena, where with a deep rythm which is both contagious and vital, she sings about her life as a peasant.This bullerenguera has taken her traditional chants, her strength and her tradition to numerous stages: Sfinks (Belgium), Latinoamericando (Italia), Mercado Cultural de Salvador de Bahía (Brazil), etc...Petrona was nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards in the year 2002, for her album Bonito que Canta under the best folk album category.