Murgas

The murga is one of the several genre's of Carnival, which is held for 40 days beginning in February. The murgas are groups of men (with some women) that perform for the public. They have make-up and costumes related to the subject matter they are presenting which can be humor, parody, satire, revue, related to the government, society or current events.

Murgas derived from Spanich cultural tradition but evolved to be unique to Uruguay. In Montevideo, some African influence is also present in the musical rythms created by drum and guitar, the only musical accompaniment. The singing is top rate, the costumes can be quite elaborate and fancy.

The murga is a combination of stage skills and improvisization. Each group writes their own material, creates their costumes, and perform on an open stage. A conductor, complete with top hat, leads the group and maintains flow.

To attend a murga performance is an experience not soon forgotten. Even though I couldn't understand the particulars, due to the language barrier, I did catch references to things I could recognize and definitely appreciated the talent and skill these amateur performers exhibited.