Totó la Momposina Dies at 85

Why this is here: Totó la Momposina’s family converted their home in Bogotá into a gathering place for musicians and artists interested in preserving Caribbean Colombian culture after being displaced by violence in the mid-20th century.

The Colombian Ministry of Cultures reports that Totó la Momposina, a major exponent of traditional Caribbean music, died on Sunday, May 17th, in Celaya, Mexico. She was 85 years old and surrounded by her children, Marco Vinicio, Angélica, and Eurídice Salomé.

Totó la Momposina was born Sonia Bazanta Vides in 1940, into a musical family in Bolívar, Colombia. She spent over six decades sharing Colombian musical traditions with the world, performing cumbia, bullerengue, and mapalé. Her voice became well known through songs like “Rosa, que linda eres” with Carlos Vives and Magín Díaz, and “Latinoamérica” with Calle 13.

Her family will transport her remains from Mexico to Bogotá on May 27th for a public memorial at the Capitolio Nacional. She often expressed concern about the loss of traditional music to contemporary genres, and dedicated her life to preservation. While she received a Latin Grammy for Musical Excellence in 2013, the work of safeguarding Colombia’s musical heritage continues.