In Colombia, a cantadora is a teacher and a healer.  Toto la Momposina, born Sonia Banzanta Vides in Mompox, Colombia, has earned that title by keeping the spirit and tradition of cumbia, a musical style blending the sounds of African, Spanish, and South American influences.  Her performances and recordings draw from the songs sung by farmers to keep the pace of pounding corn, by fishermen, loggers, and shop-keepers to liven the day. Her dances trace their roots through five generations of Toto’s family, to the movements denoting courtship between the various communities inhabiting the nation.

Spreading the traditions of Northern Colombia worldwide, Toto began touring in the 1970’s, playing at festivals in the United States, Western Europe, and throughout Latin America, while continuing to play at street fairs and family celebrations.  Her ability to draw in audiences and keep the spirit of cumbia alive and relevant has inspired others to embrace and expose the culture. Gabriel Garcia Marquez requested that Toto perform as he accepted the Nobel Prize in Stockholm in 1982, after which the artist submerged herself in the study of the history of dance at the Sorbonne. Global recognition only increased as Toto recorded the album La Candela Viva on Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld label.

Toto recently released her ninth album, La Bodega, maintaining her commitment to cumbia. The stage presence evoked by the artist’s colorful costumes and precise but passionate dances continues to move audiences, from Sweden to California and from Korea to Mexico. Toto’s vocals and lyrics denote a performer that understands the power and beauty of tradition and the importance of sharing it with the world’s population.