Jairo Varela ( Grupo Niche), a Leading Voice in Colombian Folk Music

!Por la Revolución de las Ideas!

Miami, Florida, May 6^th 2012- At latribunacolus.com we celebrate Jairo Varela’s 30 year anniversary by exposing his work and a bit of his story. It is an honor to speak about a man who has exported Colombian culture around the world. Jairo Varela was born on December 9, 1949, in Pretoria, Department of Chocó (Colombia). He was raised in the home of a merchant Antonio Varela from Restrepo, Antioquia, and a Chocó writer and poet Teresa de Jesus Martinez Arce. Writer and composer Jairo Varela has been an incredible figure in Colombian folk music as well as an ambassador to Colombian Culture and African influences in Colombian Music. Jairo came in contact with music at the age of 8 when he formed the group “LaTima”, which essentially was a flute, a bongo, maracas and guiro. Varela was always in love with music and had dreamt of becoming an artist since he heard his first tunes of music.

Colombia is a country filled with a lot of African heritage and influence due to the slave trade during the conquest era of the Spanish colonization. During many years Colombia experienced periods of high levels of racism and exclusion. Jairo Varela has been a man that has built a bridge to close cultural differences and eliminate racial tensions in the country. Jairo is a man with great artistic talent and a sense for business that have led him to becoming an icon in salsa and folk music in Colombia. Jairo Varela has been seeking to be a part of Colombian music since his early years. At 8 his grandfather gave him a guitar which he later used as a tool to compose and guide his love for music.

When Varela became older, he moved to Bogotá, Colombia, in order to search for opportunities and for his dream of becoming a well known singer. His dream was not an easy one, especially in a country where opportunities for black people were not so easy to achieve. Nevertheless, Jairo had enough courage to move from his hometown to Colombia’s capital. As an early composer he created “Hard” and “Atrato Traveler”, which later became a great success in the third album of his well known band called ”Group Niche”.Atrato is the name of the river that borders his home state Quibdó.This song became his first take into exporting his culture into the world. Showing Colombians and the world African American Colombian trends in music was one of Varela’s main goals, and to date it remains the same. After a few years, in 1978, Varela established his well known music band “Grupo Niche” (Niche in Colombian slang refers to African American Colombian people). Varela, perhaps, was one of the first Afro- Colombian singers to address the issues of racial discrimination, ethnic and social consequences in Colombia. He has sung not only about racial differences, but also about poverty and exclusion.

  

Varela has contributed to Colombia’s positive exposure in the world. His music is now heard all over the world where salsa is played, and Colombia is seen through the tunes and lyrics of Jairo Varela. Many black underprivileged kids have looked up to Jairo and tried to pursue their dreams as singers away from ghettos and violent environments. In Colombia’s internal conflict, Varela has played an important role in showing many people that being outside the law is not the path to follow, and along those lines he has also shown why being black in Colombia matters. He has shown generations of blacks that they can achieve their goals if they set their minds to it. Jairo has been an inspiring figure for many African youngsters, and in his 30^th year anniversary we celebrate his great influence on Colombian culture before you.

Today Colombia has singers like Shakira and Juanes who produce a lot of music, but unlike Jairo, they have not been identified as artists whose dedication to culture and disadvantaged communities has impacted generations in Colombia. Jairo has brought positive changes to his adopted city of Cali, Valle, Colombia. In Cali, many see Jairo as an idol that has brought music, diversity and excitement to the city which has had a lot of issues to resolve in the recent years. One of Jairo’s accomplishments has been to be the first Colombian artist to be appearing in Madison Square Garden, New York City. In addition to this he has written and composed 25 albums since 1975. As of now, Varela is producing his latest album called ”Black light” that tells the story of a young black kid who is displaced from his town in Chocó due to the paramilitary violence that surrounds this Colombian area. Later he finds himself in the ghettos of Cali, Colombia, and strives to survive as a young black kid. This story narrates the drama that many families face as they move from their homes due to the violence in the country side, and making Colombian society aware of this situation is what makes this album special. Jairo’s mission has been fulfilled as he has influenced many with his music and lyrics. Colombia has shined around the world through his music and not necessarily for cocaine or heroin. Varela has given many underprivileged kids in Colombia a reason to hope that tomorrow will be better and that their voices for help will be heard.

Jairo Varela should be considered as a voice of Colombian afro-culture around the world, and his legacy has been seen in the impact of his music in Colombia. He has brought together communities that never thought would sit at the same table. He has shown Colombian society that blacks are educated, and they can achieve many important goals and not just be maids, security guards or policemen. He gave the black community a reason to dream, and that’s why latribunacolus.com renders tribute to this man’s legacy and work. In the country torn by civil war, Varela has been a warrior in closing the gap to reach peace in Colombia. Therefore, he is a man of courage and should be admired for his work on behalf of underprivileged communities in Colombia and Colombian culture in general.

LaTribunacolus.com Press Service