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As铆 suena: Afro-Diasporic Music and Soundsystem Cultures in Colombia. A Conversation between Professor Juan Su谩rez Ontaneda and Carlos Mojica (DJ Don Alirio)

Apr 14
2026
4:00pm - 5:45pm
On Campus Event - Old Library, Quita Woodward Room
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Sound systems (sequential speaker systems) in Colombia, also known as pic贸s (a Spanish adaptation of鈥減ick-up鈥 turntables), have shaped the musical culture of cities like Barranquilla, Cartagena, and SantaMarta since the 1950s. Influenced by Jamaican Sound systems, pic贸s in Colombia became culturalinstitutions central to the circulation of Afro-diasporic music, creating audiences who danced andenjoyed genres as diverse as soukous, highlife, ndombolo, dancehall, and salsa. Carlos Mojica, alsoknown as Don Alirio, is one of the most important DJs of m煤sica picotera, the music that is played inpic贸s. As he says, 鈥淣o soy DJ, soy picotero鈥 (I am not a DJ, I am a picotero). In this conversation withProfessor Juan Su谩rez Ontaneda, Don Alirio will discuss the process of vinyl collecting, playing musicfrom the African diaspora, and the pic贸 musical and visual culture that emerged in Colombian portcities. This event will be in Spanish with translation to English.鈥

Attendees who would like to learn more about pic贸s are encouraged to watch the documentary鈥淧ic贸: el documental鈥 available on Youtube

If you have any questions, please contact Professor Juan Su谩rez Ontaneda(jsuarezont@brynmawr.edu)

This event is organized with the generosity of the Tri-College Faculty Forum Research Group on Andean Studies, theSpanish Department, and the Program in Latin American, Iberian, and Latinx Studies.

Audience: BMC Community
Type(s): Discussion
Submitted by:
Contact:
Juan Su谩rez Ontaneda

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