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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Tiago Rogero in Montevideo, photographs by Mariana Greif

Uruguay’s candombe brings streets to life as the once-banned musical tradition roars back

A young girl interacts with a group of performers on the streets of Uruguay.
A young girl dances with the Lonjas de Ciudad Vieja comparsa practicing candombe in Uruguay. Photograph: Mariana Greif/The Guardian

Like the blues in the US, samba in Brazil, rumba in Cuba and plena in Puerto Rico, candombe, Uruguay’s African-descendent music, was once reviled, marginalised and even banned – but managed to endure.

But while other such genres have for decades formed part of the cultural mainstream across the Americas, only now is candombe experiencing its peak.

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