What is candombe? In this episode from Sonido Babel [Babel Sound], we'll travel to Uruguay to find out more about this musical style that is influenced by more than twenty different African cultures as well as the indigenous Charrúas and Guaranis, the Spanish, and the Portuguese.

Yolimar Gimon, one of the ten finalists in the "Mrs. Venezuela" contest in 2012, tells us a bit about how the contest gives the chance to a bit more mature women to prove their abilities outside of the home as well as what her participation in the contest meant to her.

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

As an artesan, Javier Marin works with a variety of materials, employing many techniques to create his pieces. He has been kind enough to take the time to explain some of these materials and processes. Javier’s father, in the days well before email, used to transmit telegraph messages via morse code in the building adjacent to where his son now works.