Bejuco

Currulao is an Afro-Pacific music and dance tradition from Colombia’s Pacific coast, centered around the marimba de chonta, hand drums (cununos), bass drums (bombos), and the guasá shaker. It is typically in a lilting 6/8 metre with interlocking polyrhythms, call‑and‑response vocals, and cyclical marimba ostinatos that create a trance-like forward motion. The genre is performed at community festivities, patron saint celebrations, and social dances, and it also has close ties to ritual song traditions in the region. While strongly rooted in Afro‑Colombian culture, currulao is also heard in northern Ecuador, and in recent decades it has informed contemporary fusions and urban styles from Cali and the wider Pacific region.