LATIN AMERICA COLOMBIA

Colombia, a wonderfully complex, ethnically, culturally and geographically diverse country found in the northern part of South America, has endured many disasters, both natural and human-made.

While Colombia has fifteen major volcanoes and rests atop a number of earthquake-inducing geological faults, the country is more notorious for its long history of violent unrest. What many outside South America don't know about Colombia is its proud tradition of independence, most notably its role in the early 19th century anti-Spanish liberation wars of Simon Bolivar, its enthusiastic Spanish/African/Carib multiculturalism and its "Megadiverse" ecological wonders. Today's Colombia is tackling its political problems and is far more politically and economically stable than it was in the civil war-dominated '80s and '90s.

Cumbia is a form of Spanish/African/indigenous peoples' music and dance that originated along Colombia's Caribbean coast. It began as courtship music but has matured into several sub-forms, like Cumbia Colombiana, an expression of anti-colonial resistance, and Cumbia Villera, which addresses the difficulties of "shantytown" life.