May 31 2009
Callecitas de Cartagena (Song)
I’m not a big fan of folk music of any kind, although I make some exceptions to some songs that I find meaningful as they reflect some extent of the history of a group of people or a city; this song, Callecitas de Cartagena, or as it’s translated Little Streets from Cartagena is one of the most emblematic songs of the Colombian culture as it’s reflects the beauty and history of a city that has been standing for 476 years (almost as old as the continent itself). The city is really beautiful besides all the social problems and incidents produced by past administrations; there is a charm, a romantic charm that can be seen behind every single wall of the Old City and a spirit of romanticism and joy in the smile of every Cartagenero. Some people speak bad about the city, but those people don’t know about the hidden beauty that is laying almost dormant in the heart of Cartagena, a beauty that amazed artists and writers; a beauty that made almost any people dream about the past and what is going to come; a beauty that made me dream tons of times while I stood in silence watching the endless sunsets in the balcony of my maternal grandparents home or in a walk to the Downtown and thought about the history and if people 300 years ago were bedazzled by the magic of the stone corral that is located on the South Caribbean.
