Ecuadorian bomba

More music, as I promised. This is bomba from the Valle de Chota, about two hours north of Quito, in the Sierra. The Afro-Ecuadorian population there began when Jesuit priests brought African slaves to work the haciendas. The indigenous presence there is much stronger than on the coast - Chota is near Otavalo. The Quichua of Otavalo have been extremely successful in marketing their crafts and culture to tourists in Otavalo and throughout Ecuador and the world, while maintaining a strong ethnic identity. If you've been to the Farmers' Market here in Madison or craft shows even throughout Wisconsin (at least Monroe and Appleton, from personal experience), you've probably seen them either playing music or selling sweaters and jewelry. The group playing here is Marabu, and if I remember correctly, the concert was in rememberance of Jaime Hurtado, a leftist Afro-Esmeraldeno politician who was murdered in the late 90s and whose killers have never been aprehended.