Alé Kumá

Leonardo Gómez Jattin, AKA Alé Kumá, has dedicated his life, work and art to Afro-Colombian music. Alé Kumá is the medium with who he merges different Colombian traditions, from the Caribbean to the Pacif ic Coast, or from the interior, into new compositions for music, theatre or multidisciplinary performances, Alé Kumá focuses on the oral tradition, working with singers from all regions – the pacific coast, the amazone, the countryside and the eastern departments. Alé Kumá wishes to keep the afro-colombian spirit alive and perform it to a variety of audiences. Besides his keyrol as director of many traditional Colombian projects such as Cumbiafrica, Maria Mulata, Guafa Trio and Cuarteto Canaguaro, Leonardo is also a researcher, composer and poet. He has gained awards such as the composition of the Best Folkloric Song of Colombia at the Viña Del Mar festival in 2007 and the Fanny Mikey Prize for the production of the folkloric opera Maria Barilla in 2010.