We strengthen the living heritage of the Colombian Pacific together with its communities.
We work alongside Afro-descendant communities in the southern Colombian Pacific to strengthen artistic training and creation, cultural circulation, and the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
Current work
Ongoing programs
These initiatives are active today. Your contributions help us sustain them and expand their impact alongside communities.
2022 – ongoing
Marimbea All Stars – Young Talent from Colombia’s Pacific
An artistic circulation platform connecting young musicians from Colombia’s Pacific with audiences, venues, and creators around the world.
Support this program
2024 – ongoing
Reencarnación del Pacífico
Strengthens community music schools and youth ensembles reaching more than 100 children and young people in Quiroga and Joanico, rural Guapi.
Support this program
August 2026 – ongoing
Support for Knowledge Bearers Affected by the 10 August Earthquake
Directs contributions to affected musicians, knowledge bearers, and families to restore safe spaces and protect cultural transmission.
Support this programMarimbea by the numbers
- 80+
- Bearers of cultural knowledge and practices involved in our strengthening processes
- 400+
- Afro-Colombian people directly impacted by our activities
- 12
- Countries reached through our Marimbea All Stars project, empowering young Afro-Colombians
- 20+
- Afro-Colombian-led cultural and productive organizations involved in our strengthening processes
Testimonial from Eder Camacho
Fundación Semblanzas del Río Guapi
Culture, community, and territory
Fundación Marimbea was established in Colombia in 2023 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to community strengthening, artistic training and creation, cultural circulation, and the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage together with Afro-descendant communities in the southern Colombian Pacific.
Learn about the FoundationWe work from and alongside communities
Our methodology integrates different expressions of intangible cultural heritage with processes of training, collaborative creation, circulation, and intergenerational transmission.
- 01
Music
- 02
Dance
- 03
Oral tradition
- 04
Instrument making
- 05
Cuisine
- 06
Other expressions of intangible cultural heritage
Presence in the territory
- Tumaco
- Guapi
- Timbiquí
- Barbacoas
- Buenaventura
Past projects
Camino al Vean Ve! Arrullando y Compartiendo Saberes
More than 350 people participated in workshops, concerts, and gatherings to share and strengthen the traditional music of Colombia’s Pacific region. This project brought together musicians, cultural organizers, and communities, strengthened their capacities, and contributed to knowledge transmission and the creation of new connections between territories.
- Partner:
- Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y los Saberes / Fondo Mixto para la Promoción de la Cultura y las Artes de Nariño
- Territory:
- Bogotá, Guapi, and Timbiquí
- Line of work:
- Artistic circulation, intergenerational transmission, capacity strengthening, and community participation.
Marimbea Retreat Guapi – The Song of the Birds
Brought together Afro-Colombian cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation, and organizational strengthening through regenerative tourism. It included community training and bird monitoring, conservation agreements, knowledge transmission to children and youth, and the production of pedagogical and audiovisual tools.
- Partner:
- Destino Naturaleza – USAID
- Territory:
- Guapi, Joanico, and Quiroga, Cauca
- Line of work:
- Cultural heritage, biodiversity, education, and community strengthening.
Retiros Marimbea – Territorios de Oportunidad
A precedent implemented by Marimbea SAS: seven retreats in Tumaco that brought together local organizations and knowledge bearers around music, dance, cuisine, traditional practices, and nature, consolidating an experiential learning and cultural exchange methodology.
- Partner:
- Programa Territorios de Oportunidad – USAID
- Territory:
- Tumaco, Nariño
- Line of work:
- Cultural heritage, community strengthening, and experiential learning.
Vibra Pacífico
A precedent implemented by Marimbea SAS: a virtual training platform created to keep the transmission of cultural knowledge active during the pandemic. It produced courses in music, dance, and traditional cuisine, placing Pacific knowledge bearers and artists at the center.
- Partner:
- Programa Territorios de Oportunidad – USAID
- Territory:
- Tumaco, Guapi, Timbiquí, and Barbacoas / virtual delivery
- Line of work:
- Training, knowledge transmission, and digital circulation.
A journey built in community
Marimbea brings together artists, knowledge bearers, young people, and cultural organizations through a community-led approach, integrating training, collaborative creation, circulation, and intergenerational transmission.
Discover our workWhat's happening at Marimbea
Stories, gatherings, and news from our network.
We Have Developed Fundación Marimbea’s Gender Policy
Marimbea is strengthening its commitment to inclusion and collective action through a partnership with Universidad de los Andes and CIDER’s Master’s Program in Gender Studies. Together, we developed our Gender Policy through a participatory process, created a guide for integrating a gender perspective into the Marimbea Methodology, and documented lessons to help us become a more equitable and thoughtful organization. This partnership among academia, our organization, and communities of Colombia’s Pacific region has given us tools and lasting capabilities to keep growing with respect, integrity, and meaningful impact.
Fundación Marimbea
Read more →
Roots and Resistance: Music, Diaspora and Social Action
Our director, Adrian Sabogal, joined Raíces y Resistencia (Roots and Resistance), held during musician and activist Tiken Jah Fakoly’s visit to Colombia. The gathering explored the connections between music, Pan-Africanism and social action, while highlighting Marimbea’s work to connect communities, amplify Afro-Colombian culture and turn culture into economic opportunities.
Read more →
Colombian Pacific Creative & Community Recovery
In collaboration with The CreatiVrole Project, we are supporting the recovery of families, musicians, traditional knowledge holders, and cultural workers in Colombia’s Pacific region affected by the August 2026 earthquake. The initiative responds to concrete housing and livelihood needs while helping protect the continuity of the knowledge, practices, and cultural expressions that keep the Pacific’s living heritage alive.
The Creative Role (USA)
Support this causeBe part of this work
Stay close to Marimbea
Receive news about our projects, communities, and cultural experiences.