Leonor Gonzalez Mina (born June 16, 1934 in
Jamundí
Jamundí is a town and municipality in the Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
Jamundí is located south of Cali (the capital of the department) in the west riverside of the Cauca River The average temperature is 23° Celsius.
Histo ...
,
Valle del Cauca) is a prominent
Afro-Colombian
Afro-Colombians or African-Colombians ( es, afrocolombianos, links=no) are Colombians of full or partial sub-Saharan African descent ( Blacks, Mulattoes, Pardos, and Zambos).
History
Africans were enslaved in the early 16th Century in Colomb ...
musician and actress, known as "''la Negra Grande de Colombia''" ("The Great Black Woman of Colombia"). She is known for her work in several genres of
Colombian music, including
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
,
pasillo,
bambuco
Bambuco is a traditional music genre from Colombia. Its metric structure is similar to the European waltz or polska (not to be confused with the polka). Typically a bambuco piece is accompanied by a stylized group dance in either a or meter.
...
, and especially
cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include:
...
. She is known for songs such as "Mi Buenaventura", "Navidad Negra", and "Yo Me Llamo Cumbia".
Biography
The musical career of Leonor Gonzalez Mina began when she was 18 years old, when she decided to leave her home. After six months, she participated as a dancer in a ballet by
Delia Zapata Olivella and her brother Manuel, acting before an audience in Paris. With this dance company she travelled internationally to countries including China, Germany, and the Soviet Union. When she returned to Colombia, she produced her first record, titled "''Cantos de mi tierra y de mi raza''".
Leonor Gonzalez Mina is a reference of cultural identity, Valluna and Colombian, that for more than 60 years of a successful artistic career has taken the Afro-Pacific culture to many areas of the planet. She has shown all the rhythms of Colombian culture, from a cumbia to a bambuco, her life and work has been a legacy of musical identity and nation. She has recorded more than 30 records during her lifetime.
In 1975 Leonor Gonzalez mina represented
her country in the
fourth edition of the
OTI Festival
OTI Festival ( es, Festival OTI de la Canción, pt, Festival OTI da Canção), often known simply as La OTI, was an international song competition, organised annually between 1972 and 2000 by the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI) ...
, which was held in
San Juan,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. Her competing song, entitled "Campesino de ciudad" (City farmer) talks about the difficulties that the people from the rural areas face in the big cities in search for a better life. The song, which summarized a sad reality in Latin America, moved both the audience and the juries and she got the third place in a tie with the venezuelan entrant,
Mirla Castellanos.
Leonor Gonzalez Mina also acted in a Colombian television series, and participated in the congressional elections of 1998, when she was elected as a cameral representative for
Bogotá with the Colombian Liberal Party.
Gonzalez Mina is considered among the most popular
Colombian singers.
Songs
Some of her songs are:
* Toto La Momposina - La Mar de Musicas (Cartagena)
* Liliana Montes-"Aguacerito llové" del álbum Corazón Pacífico
* Mi Buenaventura/Mi Peregoyo - Leonor González Mina by Mulato de Jesus Maria
*Navidad Negra- (Pescador de mi tierra) Leonor González Mina
* Simplemente la Negra Grande de Colombia -Soy de Buenaventura
References
External links
*
News report on Leonor Gonzalez Mina's 72nd birthdayFestival Petronio Alvarez, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Mina, Leonor
1934 births
Living people
20th-century Colombian women singers
Afro-Colombian women