2011 Festival Blog

The Colombia program for the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival was an incredible and dynamic success. By dividing the country intoRead More

After much deliberation, we’ve chosen seven of our favorite Flickr images of the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival: one each fromRead More

Migdonio Rivas Ríos from Colombia’s Pacific Coast constructs percussion instruments for chirimía ensembles using local materials and techniques. As syntheticRead More

Debo reconocer que el Festival del Smithsonian me dejó profundamente conmovida y asombrada. Cuando se hablaba de exposiciones de humanosRead More

The constant sounds of music have ceased, and the aroma of cooking food no longer wafts over the National Mall.Read More

This installment of Festival Audio features a conversation with two returned Peace Corps volunteers: Jimmy Schneidewind, who served in MozambiqueRead More

Celebrated songwriter, producer, singer, musician, and performer Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams performs his song “Crawdad Hole.” Video shot by EricRead More

From the Southeastern Plains of Colombia, Cabrestero performs the joropo music that is an important part of the region’s cattle-ranchingRead More

Dozens of Colombian craftspeople participated in the 2011 Festival. They were carpenters, carvers, ceramicists, cooks, hairstylists, hat makers, flower andRead More

The Opika Performance Group from Perechyn, Ukraine, reconnects local orphaned children with their region’s culture and heritage through performances ofRead More