Posted: Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Assistant Professor of Spanish Diana Rodríguez Quevedo was recently interviewed by Micah Schweizer for the WNIN Radio program, The Trend. The subject was her recent Andiron Lecture on campus titled, “Skipping Beats:  The Impact of the Illegal Drug Trade on Colombian Music.”

In her lecture, Rodríguez Quevedo discussed how Colombia’s music has undergone transformations due to the influence of the illegal drug trade over the past four decades. Cumbia, once known as the emblematic rhythm of the nation, was replaced by vallenato, which itself faced competition from the production and commercialization of narcocorridos or prohibited corridos.

The radio interview focused on narcocorridos but also tied in the connection between music (vallenato) and the phenomenon of forced internal displacement in Colombia.  Listen to the recorded interview.

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