A Colombian Ancestral Musical Genius You Should Know About

Petrona Martínez is one of the most important Black singers in Colombia's modern history—and she didn't get her big break until she was 60! She’s known as “the queen of bullerengue,” an ancestral music tradition that goes back to times of slavery in the Colombian Caribbean Coast. For much of her life, Petrona dealt with isolation, poverty and invisibility as a Black woman from rural Colombia. In 1998, she became internationally known and in 2021 she won a Latin Grammy. Press play and join us in her journey.  

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