Abstract
Carnival, as a cultural and aesthetic manifestation, constitutes a privileged space for understanding the processes of creation, resistance, and transmission of knowledge in the Colombian Caribbean. This paper analyzes carnival not only as a festive expression, but also as a stage for symbolic production that preserves, reinvents, and disseminates social, historical, and emotional memories, while strengthening Caribbean identities in the face of modernization, globalization, and cultural homogenization. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines cultural studies, ethnography, and art history, we examine the modes in which the creative processes of carnival (music, dance, masks, costumes, and oral tradition) function as devices for social and political learning. Through these expressions, communities narrate their histories, reaffirm their Afro-descendant and indigenous roots, and renew their sense of territorial and symbolic belonging. The main objective is to highlight how carnival communities build their own knowledge and pedagogies through artistic creation and collective participation. The methodology is based on qualitative ethnographic research, with participant observation in carnivals in the Atlantic and Magdalena regions. The findings reveal that carnival functions as a physical and auditory archive where traces of the colonial past and struggles for cultural recognition are inscribed. In this sense, memory is not preserved in a static form, but is constantly recreated in the festive scene. Carnival, understood as a form of art, transcends its playful dimension to become a living practice capable of transforming social imaginaries and promoting sensitive, participatory, emancipatory education in the Colombian Caribbean.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Carnival, Caribbean, Colombia, Community, Identity, Local, Memory
