“Bumaranga” is a word used by African slaves brought to Colombia to designate certain forms of music. It was only natural for Juan Sebastian Quiros to choose this name to designate his Afro-Colombian musical fusion project.

Bumaranga is a fusion project with African and indigenous influences that offers a mixture of percussion and flutes typically Colombian with a modern touch provided by electric instruments. The result is a rich music, with authentic sounds, where the attractive rhythms offered by traditional drums like the “tambora” and the “alegre” drum stand out.

With beats such as cumbia, puya, tambora and mapalé, each of the group’s presentations is an invitation to discover and appreciate Colombia’s modern musical flavors.

Bumaranga aims to preserve Afro-Colombian music in Canada, sharing the cultural wealth of Afro-blended music from South America and contributing to Canada’s musical diversity.

The group won first prize in the 7th Syli d’Or de la musique du monde in 2013 at the Club Balattou in Montréal as well as the CIBL Radio-Montréal award and the Coup de Cœur award at the Francofolies Festival in 2013 in the blended musical styles showcase. The 2013 Vivacité Montréal grant awarded by the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec helped Bumaranga produce its first album, named Cumbia Electrizante.