Graciela Salgado

Born in San Basilio de Palenque (Bolívar) within a family of drumming tradition in the interior of the Caribbean region. Palenque is the first free town in America, in its central square the statue of Benkos Biohó is erected, breaking the chains, leader of the first groups of people enslaved at the beginning of the 17th century who managed to flee and resist collectively managing themselves.

With a serious face and few words, he sings bullerengue and lumbalú; she proudly named herself the only drummer woman. Lead voice and songwriter of the group Las Alegres Ambulancias, made up of her relatives and her singing partner María Dolores Salinas. The lumbalús are funeral rituals typical of the Caribbean palenques, closely linked to African traditions. They present songs of women and men accompanied by drums, the women dance around the corpse with movements of the arms and belly.

We had the opportunity to share at Graciela's house on two occasions when unfortunately she was already very ill: we lived with her family and chatted with her in an interview in which she sang in the language of Palenque on her own initiative. Graciela Salgado died at the age of 83 in September 2013, during the process of mounting the documentary. This event confirms the relevance of the use of cinematography for the reconstruction and preservation of memories - culture is transformed with each farewell to people who carry an unrepeatable memory - making documentary production an invaluable tool for our collective stories and memories. . As a tribute, we include a brief sequence in which Graciela walks through the cemetery while affirming that "death is needed, whoever does not want to die, what does not have to be born"; the sequence ends with a fixed shot of the grave that reads: "Graciela Salgado, live." Our most heartfelt tribute to Graciela!