Artists, musicians, creators, associations and the gypsy community of Catalonia have come together on a platform to ensure that the Catalan rumba is recognized by Unesco as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Under the slogan "The rumba is ours!", the Platform for the Catalan Rumba has been presented this Monday in Barcelona with the aim of obtaining this recognition and that of "protecting and normalizing the Catalan rumba" throughout the territory, promoting in villages, festivals and schools, and get "it rings around the world".
Among the promoters of the candidacy are Rosa Pubill, daughter of Peret, and Amadeu Valentí, son of El Chacho and president of the National Platform for Gypsy Rights. It also includes Sicus Cabornell, leader of the Sabor de Gràcia group, and Ángel Juárez, president of Mother Earth Fundació Mediterrània and the International Network of Writers for the Earth.
Amadeu Valentí, president of the platform, pointed out during the presentation ceremony that "for us, the Catalan rumba is a way of understanding life" and that getting it recognized as Intangible Heritage of Humanity "means bringing our culture closer to the world ".
Rosa Pubill has stated that with the initiative they want to "protect the legacy of the Catalan rumba and give future generations tools to be encouraged by this genre".
For her part, Adelaida Moya Taulés, General Director of Popular Culture and Associations of the Generalitat, stated that as of today "we begin this path together towards Unesco".
Another proposal of the platform is to convert July 24 into the International Day of the Catalan Rumba, a day in which concerts, dissemination events and participatory workshops are held throughout the territory.
This day has been chosen because on July 24, 2015 the Parliament of Catalonia recognized the Catalan rumba as Cultural Heritage and Traditional and Popular Music of Catalonia. Already then that music aspired to become a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Catalan rumba is a style of music created by the Catalan gypsy community in the mid-50s in Barcelona, the epicenters of this creation being the Gràcia neighborhood, Hostafrancs and Cera del Raval street. It soon spread throughout Catalonia and reached the south of France.
The main artists who launched the genre from its beginnings were Peret, Antonio González El Pescaílla and Josep Maria Valentí, El Chacho, who were followed by the duo Los Amaya or Las Grecas and the Rumba Tres trio. In the 1970s, Gato Pérez rediscovered the Catalan rumba and brought the genre closer to other rhythms, such as salsa and jazz.
Recently, the last recognition of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco has been attributed to rai. This Algerian music, which was a worldwide success in the 1990s, combines melody with political and social criticism. Some examples of the most outstanding singers of this genre were Cheb Hasni, Khaled, Cheb Mami or the Egyptian singer Um Kulthum.
