"Candombe" is the generic name given to different dances of African origin in Uruguay, and was born from the conjunction of the more than twenty African towns where slaves where brought to the region of the southern cone. Each of these had their own language, way of being, seeing and feeling, culture, and different styles of dances and songs: sacred or profane, festive or mournful, etc.

The candombe was the most important and significant dance and musical-religious expression of the afro collective. Today it is one of the most eloquent musical expressions that our country has. The candombe has been so strong, deep and essential that instead of disappearing - destiny to which it was condemned in different historical stages of our nation - it survived, overcoming all the barriers and repressions. It has become so infused in our society, and become a cultural element that identifies Uruguay.

 

The original candombe made by those Africans that found in their music and dance an escape valve from the tragedy they faced, were a way to feel alive, through an intimate and intense call to rebellion before impositions and enslavement of which they were object ... .. "Oscar D. Montaño - Portal Candombe

 

The Candombe has been declared in 2009 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture).

This is a triumph for the Afro-Uruguayan collective that has been able to preserve this legacy for 200 years.

The Candombe is on the Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.