Mario learns that diversity at the Mono Núñez Festival extends beyond the various Colombian musicians, as English people seem to enjoy Andean music as much as Colombians do!

Festivaliando continues its behind-the-scenes peek at the music, performers and attendees of the famed Mono Núñez Festival in Ginebra, Valle de Cauca, Colombia.

Colombians at the Mono Núñez Festival in Cali talk about their objectives for attending it, among them the importance of preserving traditional Colombian rhythms in a period in which their mainstream popularity is waning.

At Colombia's Mono Núñez music festival, many indigenous musical instruments can be heard. Learn about some of them in this video.

Native Colombians speak about the importance of taking pride in their traditional music as well as its influences as they look forward to celebrating it at a festival.

In the fourth and final part of his interview, Colombian musician, Willy, explains what he feels making music requires and how it it enriches his life.

Colombian musician, Willy, continues to explain to us about his creative process as well as what music means to him.

Willy learned to play guitar mostly by himself, but he soon discovered the importance of having people to share his passion with. Then he talks about how New York changed his musical tastes.

William Bonilla is a good friend of ours who invited Yabla to his apartment to share his points of view about his musical career. Here, he talks about his beginnings.

In Colombia, costeño y cachaco are almost opposite terms. Costeños, that is de la costa, people from the Coast, are usually depicted as festive, noisy, and colorful people who really enjoy killing time. Cachaco is usually the name given to people from the capital, Bogotá, and they’re characterized by elegance; they’re always dressed up and in control of their emotions. One group is seen as lazy, the other as boring. Regional differences aside, Bomba Estéreo is a fresh musical mix of both regions.

ChocQuibTown is a name everyday more common on Colombian airwaves and dance floors. Their mix of traditional rhythms from el Pacífico with hip-hop elements and a heavy dose of “funky” is earning them a place on the playlists of both young listeners as well as a more traditional audience. In this Yabla-exclusive interview, we had the chance to chat with the band about where, exactly, it’s all at.

Take it from the boys in Skampida, the best ways to learn a language are 1) to watch a lot of tv (yabla!) and 2) to find yourself a native girlfriend/boyfriend! Skampida is one of the best bands ever from Bogotá, and we caught up with them while they were spending some time hangeando in The Big Manzana.