Barranquilla’s Carnival, or Carnaval de Barranquilla, is Colombia’s biggest celebration of the country’s culture, history, and folklore, and it is one of the biggest carnivals in the world. Barranquilla, a city in Colombia, shuts down each year to get covered in colors, costumes, and crowds as massive numbers march through the streets to dance, sing, and march. The festival kicks off the Saturday before Ash Wednesday with the Battle of the Flowers, and from there, it’s four days of grand parades and festivities. Colombian photographer Jorge Oviedo was proud to photograph the people making this event special, both on the streets and behind the scenes.
It is a celebration where the local people from the Colombian coast have the opportunity to express their culture through music, dancing, and very elaborate parades.
Jorge got involved through a creative director he’s worked with for years. From there, he worked with his producer and their company to contact different groups and associations involved in the event. They had to put some planning in and gain some permission to access certain groups and areas. Jorge says the production company set up everything for this shoot to take place.
He wanted to show off the vibrancy and richness of this cultural event.
My goal was to document this event focusing on the culture and the preparation and hard work that goes into an event like this and the passion each individual brings to the table.
Jorge says it was important to him that people knew that he was there for the same reasons they were. They sometimes couldn’t believe he was there without any monetary interest, but he explained that he was just there with the same passion for their project that they had.
I love shooting portraits and documenting what real people do. I was there as an outsider just capturing the energy and the hard work that goes into a carnaval like this.
For Jorge, the carnaval reminded him of how much he loves to learn about his country, and the people and the culture that make it their own.
To view more work from Jorge, visit oviedojorge.com.