Cumbia is believed to be a variant of the African Guinean cumbe music. Cumbia started in the northern region of Colombia, mainly in or around Cartagena during the period of Spanish colonization. Spain used its ports to import African slaves, who tried to preserve their musical traditions and also turned the drums and dances into a courtship ritual. Cumbia was mainly interpreted with just drums and claves.
Walking through Cartagena de Indias, the enchanting port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, is like stepping into an old painting.
The city's textures and images drench your senses at every turn. Brilliant flowers drape the balconies of the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial architecture lining the streets. The buildings are awash with oranges, purples, pinks and yellows, as they have been for hundreds of years. The sea crashes in shifting shades of blue at the feet of La Muralla, the weathered Spanish fortifications that encircle the city.
Youngsters in vibrant folkloric garb dance in the plazas. The girls wear flowing white skirts and red scarves on their heads, while the boys don matching white linens and twirl fake machetes.
(From http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:SABtD5d-ygsJ:www.dancing-latin.com/cumbia-dance.php+cartagena+rumba+cumbia&cd=17&hl=pt-BR&ct=clnk
and
http://www.nydailynews.com/travel/2009/03/01/2009-03-01_cartagena_is_colombias_charming_portside_gem.html )
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