Folklorology and Sites of Memory: Disputes Regarding Social Imaginaries of Tradition at the Festival Nacional del Porro in Córdoba, Colombia

Abstract

This article analyses the Festival Nacional del Porro, an event that brings together wind bands from the Colombian Caribbean, and discusses its endeavour to organise, legitimise and reproduce memories that are central to the construction of social imaginaries about local tradition. It examines the characteristics of Latin American folklore that gave rise to the Festival, drawing on the concept of a “site of memory” to reveal the tension between discourses tied to authenticity and the imminent transformations in practice, which have aesthetic and, above all, political implications. As a conclusion, the article highlights a trend toward spectacularisation that revisits the idea of authenticity as a source of value, while simultaneously challenging band musicians’ intentions to engage with the logic of cultural capitalism.