UTCH Virtual

Chocó in English

ALABAO

The alabao is a song of religious exaltation dedicated to the saints. Although it is still at times sung unaccompanied, it is often performed with percussion, for the majority of the inhabitants of the Chocó are of African descent. The alabao is also sung at wakes, when friends come from the surrounding rural areas to say their last farewells to the deceased, to express condolences to the family and to recite the deceased´s life history. (Source: Musics of many cultures: An introduction, by Dale A. Olsen)

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