Colombia: Learning from Vallenato · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

Amongst Colombian users of Twitter, the trend of publishing phrases from Vallenato songs -under the tag #Elvallenatomeenseñó [es] (Vallenato taught me)- has emerged, with the intention of highlighting famous lyrics immortalised in songs that reflect different life lessons.
As a musical genre, Vallenato is defined in Wikipedia as “native folk music from the Colombian Caribbean Coast […]. Traditionally, it is played with three instruments: the  Diatonic Button Accordion, the Guacharaca and the Caja Vallenata drum. Vallenato has five different rhythms which are the , the , the , the  and the . Vallenato is also played with the Guitar and with the same instruments as Cumbia in cumbiambas and groups that play with the millo”.
Vallenato forms a fundamental part of Colombian culture and it could be said that it is one of the most characteristic features of the country's history.
Alexandra Osorio (@alexaaOsorioo) [es] published:
@alexaaOsorioo: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que si me llego a morir, no la culpen a ella culpen a mi corazón que se enamoro sin conocerla ♪
@alexaaOsorioo: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that if I die, don't blame her, blame my heart that fell in love without knowing her. ♪
Margy Salgado (‏@Mar_FisioUMB) [es] also joined in with the Vallenato song “Parranda, Ron y Mujer” (Party, Rum and Women):
‏@Mar_FisioUMB: #ElVallenatoMeEnseñó yo gozo mi vida y otro que la sufra, porque con lamentos no se gana NADA (Diomedez Diaz)
‏@Mar_FisioUMB: #ElVallenatoMeEnseñó (Vallenato taught me) I enjoy my life and another suffers, because with moaning, you gain NOTHING (Diomedez Diaz)
For her part, Gabriela Nava (@gabyNava12) [es] maintains that it is impossible not to love Vallenato:
“Impossible not to love you, Vallenato of my soul. You turn my sadness into happiness”. Image shared by @gabyNava12 en Twitter.
The user ‘David no existe’ (David doesn't exist) (@Tuunicoacosador) [es] remembers one of the most emblematic Vallenatos in the history of this genre: “Obsesión” (Obsession) by the group El Binomio de América (The Binomial of America).
@Tuunicoacosador: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que quisiera que el mundo girara al revés, para hacerme pequeño y volver a nacer, y así no tener que extrañarteee.
@Tuunicoacosador: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that I want the world to turn the other way, in order to make me small and to be born again, and thus not have to miss youuu.
Valentina Montoya (@Valenmontoyaa) [es], sings “La indiferencia” (The Indifference):
@Valenmontoyaa: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que esa indiferencia tuya es la que me domina, me hace perder la calma, me hace sentir cosquillas.
@Valenmontoyaa: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that your indifference controls me, it makes me lose my calm, it gives me butterflies.
Silvestre Dangond (@Dangond_Ochoa) [es] too, expresses:
@Dangond_Ochoa: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño que no es la plata es el corazón …
@Dangond_Ochoa: #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me) that it's not about money, but the heart…
Finally, Dana (@unaejtupida) [es] mentions various, famous young singers and composers.
@unaejtupida: Silvestre me enseño, Kaleth me enseño, Martín Elías me enseño………………..mejor #ElVallenatoMeEnseño.
@unaejtupida: Silvestre taught me, Kaleth taught me, Martín Elías taught me………………..best #ElVallenatoMeEnseño (Vallenato taught me).
More Vallenato
The following are blogs dedicated to Vallenato:
You can also visit the post  that Global Voices published in relation to the festival of the legendary Vallenato that is celebrated annually in Colombia.