ZAMBA

 In Argentina, zamba is the name given to a genre of music and dance that are characteristic of the northwest region. The zamba is part of what is known as Argentine folklore.

Derived from the zamacueca, a style native to Peru, the zamba can have a 6/8, 3/4 or a combination of both. In the dance, the choreography combines three figures: the arrest, the half turn and the whole turn, which involve different movements of the members of the dance couple.

Songs that follow this rhythm are known as zambas. "Alfonsina y el mar" , "Zamba de mi esperanza" and "Zamba de Vargas" are some of the best known zambas in the popular Argentine songbook.

However, they are not the only known zambas that have become really important in Argentine and world culture. We are referring to others such as “Añoralgias”, by Les Luthiers; “Blanco y azul”, by Mercedes Sosa; "El Paraná en una zamba", by Jaime Dávalos or "Zamba de Juan Panadero" by Manuel J. Castilla and Gustavo Cuchi Leguizamón.

It is also important to know that within the zamba there are several modalities. In this way, for example, there is the so-called zamba carpera, which is identified by having a lighter rhythm and because the bandoneon plays a fundamental role in its music.

Not to mention that there is also talk of the joyous zamba, which was developed at the beginning of the 20th century. It is identified because the couple dances it loosely and because it has two movements, sixteen measures of zamba, as many as of cat and twelve final measures. It is important that the dancers wear castanets and a scarf.

It is important to note that the term zamba comes from the time of the European colonies in America. Europeans called zambas the mestiza women descended from black father and Aboriginal mother or father and black mother Aboriginal, while men in the same situation were called zambos.

The concept arises from the divisions into races or castes that the conquerors imposed on the American continent. The children of couples formed by African slaves (or their descendants) and Native Americans, in this context, were the Zambos, numerous in Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Panama and other countries.

Currently, the nation with the largest number of zamba population is Panama. Certain regions of Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, on the other hand, also have numerous Zambos inhabitants.

In the same way, we cannot ignore that zamba is also a word that is used as an adjective to refer to a person who walks in a strange way. Why? Because his knees are too close together and his legs are too far apart.

When used with this meaning, we have to state that the term zamba has its etymological origin in the Latin word "strambus", which can be translated as cross-eyed and which, in turn, derives from the Greek. In this specific case of the word "strephein", which means "twist".