Susana Esther Baca de la Colina (; born 24 May 1944) is a prominent

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian singer-songwriter, school teacher,

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

, ethnomusicologist and three-time

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...

winner. She has been a key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music. In July 2011, she was named Peru's

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

in the

Ollanta Humala Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso (; born 27 June 1962) is a Peruvian politician and former military officer who served as president of Peru from 2011 to 2016. Originally a socialist and left-wing nationalist, he is considered to have shifted towar ...

government, becoming the second Afro-Peruvian cabinet minister in the history of independent Peru. In November 2011, Baca was elected to the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

(OAS) as the President of the Commission of Culture for the period 2011–13.

Career

Susana Baca was born and grew up in a coastal fishing village, Chorrillos, a district of the Lima Province of Peru, and part of greater

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

. Her music is a mixture of traditional and contemporary. Her backing band features indigenous Peruvian instruments such as the ''

cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...

'' ("wooden box", whose origins lie in an upturned fruit crate), '' udu'' (clay pot), and '' quijada'' (jawbone of a burro) ''cheko'' a dried gourd, as well as

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and electric upright baby bass. Although many of her songs are based on traditional forms such as the '' landó'' or '' vals'', she also incorporates elements of Cuban and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian music. Her debut album for the label Luaka Bop, produced by Greg Landau, brought her to the attention of World Music audiences worldwide. Baca is an important figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music within Peru (see, for example, dancers from the Perú Negro troupe, as well as " Festejo" music), which, like the culture that produced it, had previously been little recognized, but which is now regarded as an important part of Peruvian culture. Baca has contributed much to its international popularity, which began in 1995 with the release of the compilation CD '' Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru''. The album, featuring the Baca song " Maria Lando", was released by the Luaka Bop record label, which belongs to ex-

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

frontman

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

Reviews

According to several important critics, Baca is more than just an Afro-Peruvian diva. Michael Heumann from ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' says: "Maria Lando put Susana Baca on the world music map. Since then, she has released a number of very popular albums, most on Luaka Bop, and all of incredibly high quality." Timothy G. Merello from ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' said of her performance in Old Town School of Folk Music,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

: "Susana Baca, more than just a singer, is a poet, a historian, a spelunker and explorer of Afro-Peruvian folklore and music ..she and her band entertain, educate and entrance a sold out crowd with a musical melange of rhythms, melodies, beats, and dance." While Deanne Sole, also from ''PopMatters'', says of Baca's 2009 album ''Seis Poemas'' (Six Poems): "After watching Peruvian singer Susana Baca perform on an open stage in burning heat with malfunctioning equipment, one can't help but respect Baca not only as a voice but as a performer, as a person ..Seis Poemas, a small album but a charming one." Baca founded the Instituto Negrocontinuo (Black Continuum Institute) in her seafront home in Chorrillos, to foster the collection, preservation and creation of Afro-Peruvian culture, music and dance.

Awards

In 2001, she received a nomination for the Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album" for her album ''Canto''. In 2002, Susana Baca won the Latin

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Folk Album, for her album ''Lamento Negro''. In November 2011, she won the second Latin Grammy of her career for her collaboration with urban group Calle 13 on the song " Latinoamérica", which was recorded in Peru, also featuring Brazilian singer-songwriter

Maria Rita Maria Rita (; born 9 September 1977, São Paulo) is a Brazilian singer. Born Maria Rita Camargo Mariano, she is the daughter of famed pianist/arranger César Camargo Mariano and the late Brazilian singing legend Elis Regina and sister to P ...

and

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n recording artist Totó la Momposina. Her 2020 album ''A Capella'' was nominated for ''Best Folk Album'' at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. She ended up winning the award and said she dedicated it to the Peruvian youth, specially those who work on building Perú higher every day.

Political career

In July 2011, the newly elected President of Peru,

, announced that Baca would become his

. On 28 July she was sworn in, becoming the second Afro-Peruvian cabinet minister in the history of independent Peru. She resigned due to a cabinet reshuffle on 11 December 2011. In November 2011 she was elected to the

(OAS) as President of the Commission of Culture for the period 2011–13.

Discography

Albums *1987 - ''Poesía y Canto Negro'' *1991 - ''Vestida de Vida, Canto Negro de las Américas!'' (Kardum, Iris) *1992 - ''Fuego y Agua'' (Elephant, Tonga) *1997 - ''Susana Baca'' (Luaka Bop) *2000 - '' Eco de Sombras'' (Luaka Bop) *2001 - ''Lamento Negro'' (Tumi Music) *2002 - ''Espíritu Vivo'' (Luaka Bop) *2002 - ''A Viva Voz'' (Empresa Editora El Comercio, compilation) *2004 - ''The Best of Susana Baca'' (Luaka Bop compilation) *2006 - ''Travesías'' (Luaka Bop) *2009 - ''Seis Poemas'' (Luaka Bop) *2010 - ''Mama'' (Editora Pregón) *2010 - ''Cantos de Adoración'' *2011 - ''Afrodiaspora'' (Luaka Bop) *2020 - ''A Capella: Grabado en Casa Durante la Cuarentena'' *2021 - ''Palabras Urgentes'' (Real World) *2025 – ''Conjuros'' (Pregón Producciones) Contributing artist *1996 - '' The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes'' ( World Music Network) *2011 - Collaborated with Puerto Rican urban group Calle 13 on the song " Latinoamérica" *2013 - Sang " Gracias a la Vida" with Puerto Rican singer

Chucho Avellanet Armando Hipólito Avellanet González, nicknamed "Chucho", is a Puerto Rican singer and comedic actor of Spanish-Catalan descent. Avellanet was involved with the Nueva ola movement in the 1960s. See also * List of Puerto Ricans This is a ...

in the ''Especial del Banco Popular: Música en Tiempos'' *2016 - Sang "Molino Molero" with Charlie Hunter and "Fuego y Agua" on '' Family Dinner – Volume 2'' by Snarky Puppy

Films

*2003 - ''Susana Baca: Memoria Viva''. Directed by Marc Dixon. *2013 -
Sigo Siendo
'' Directed by Javier Corcuera. *2011 -
Música afroperuana: tras la larga noche
'' Directed by Patricia Ferreira. Documentary made for TV. RTVE, series "Todo el mundo es música".

References

External links

Susana Baca page
from Luaka Bop website * James C. McKinley, Jr.

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 19 August 2011. * Russ Slater
"I Need To Say Something That Sings To People's Spirits: An Interview with Susana Baca"
, ''Sounds and Colours'', 3 October 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baca, Susana 1944 births 20th-century Peruvian women singers 20th-century Peruvian singers 21st-century Peruvian women singers 21st-century Peruvian singers Culture ministers of Peru Latin Grammy Award winners Living people Luaka Bop artists Peruvian ethnomusicologists Peruvian politicians Peruvian women anthropologists Peruvian women in politics Women in Latin music