https://doi.org/10.37955/cs.v8i2.345
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eISSN: 2600-5743
La gaita as an intercultural bridge,
for the creation of music seedbeds,
which facilitates the recovery of
values and ancestral culture
La gaita como puente intercultural, para la creación de
semilleros de música, que facilite la recuperación de
valores y la cultura ancestral
Danelys Eugenia Hernández-Pérez
Licenciatura en Básica con Énfasis en Humanidades Lengua Castellana Énfasis
Inglés, Corporación Universitaria Iberoamericana, dhernandez@cui.edu.co,
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5198-0000
Yomaira Carmona-Villa
Licenciada en Educación Básica con Énfasis en Humanidades Lengua Castellana
Especialista en Gestión Educativa y Curricular, Corporación Universitaria
Iberoamericana, ycarmona@cui.edu.co, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6453-8042
Pablo José Luna-Jaraba
Licenciado en Educación Infantil con Énfasis en Tecnología e Informática
Especialista en Informática y Telemática, Corporación Universitaria Iberoamericana,
pluna@cui.edu.co, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2087-196X
ABSTRACT
This research is based on an ancestral cultural reference of the
municipality of Ovejas, Sucre: The gaita music, from the scenario of
the Educational Institution "San Rafael", which is constituted in its
intangible heritage of local, national and international recognition,
with the objective of designing a ludic-didactic strategy, based on the
creation of seedbeds, as a tool that promotes values, skills and
traditions; In this process it is necessary to explore secondary
information and, especially, the primary information obtained
technically and methodologically through direct observation, surveys,
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semi-structured interviews, participative thematic workshops and
other techniques that allowed to know the subject with a greater level
of depth and objectivity; as a result of this process, qualitative data and
quantitative information were found that supported the formulation
of strategies to minimize the problem and improve the reality. It is
necessary that, in the operationalization of the alternative proposals
presented in a structured manner, by category of analysis, there is the
active participation of all members of the educational community, with
the involvement of citizens in general, so that there is an
approximation between what was proposed in the research and a
social reality that will benefit from these academic and pedagogical
initiatives.
RESUMEN
Esta investigación se fundamenta en un referente cultural ancestral
del municipio de Ovejas, Sucre: La música de gaita, desde el escenario
de la Institución Educativa “San Rafael”, que se constituye en su
patrimonio intangible de reconocimiento local, nacional e
internacional, con el objetivo de diseñar una estrategia lúdico
didáctica, basada en la creación de semilleros, como herramienta que
promueva valores, aptitudes y tradiciones; en ese proceso es necesario
explorar la información secundaria y, especialmente, la primaria
obtenida técnica y metodológicamente a través de la observación
directa, encuestas, entrevistas semiestructuradas, talleres temáticos
participativos y demás técnicas que permitieron conocer el tema con
un mayor nivel de profundidad y objetividad; como resultado de ese
proceso, se encontraron datos cualitativos e información cuantitativa
que sustentó la formulación de estrategias de minimización del
problema y un mejoramiento de la realidad. Es necesario que, en la
operatividad de las propuestas alternativas presentadas de manera
estructurada, por categoría de análisis, haya la participación activa de
todos los integrantes de la comunidad educativa, con la vinculación de
la ciudadanía en general, de manera que haya una aproximación entre
lo planteado en la investigación y una realidad social que se beneficiará
de estas iniciativas académicas y pedagógicas.
Keywords / Palabras clave
Play, Interculturality, Values and Ancestral Culture
Lúdica, Interculturalidad, Valores y Cultura Ancestral
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Introduction
This research developed a contextualization of the Gaita music, rooted
in the culture and tradition of the municipality of Ovejas and the
region, which currently emerges as an intercultural bridge and
connects communities in time and space. Internationally, challenges
have been identified in the promotion of the Gaita in different
scenarios, emphasizing the need for pedagogical responses that
address diversity; among the reference countries in bagpipe music are
Slovakia, Spain, Ireland and Scotland, which have consolidated
technical details, tunes, ornaments, related repertoires of songs and
dances.
The rescue of cultural values becomes the fundamental basis for its
promotion, practice and its reflection in the sense of belonging.
Throughout history in this scenario, music represents the expression
of high cultural values that have transcended, to the point that on
March 10 tribute is paid to this great musical instrument and the
International Day of the Bagpipe is celebrated, an event promoted by
The Bagpipe Society since 2012. This is intended to raise awareness of
this musical instrument, its history and traditions in various parts of
the world.
In the national context, it is established in the intercultural theme,
from the rural educational institutions, the support and vocational
guidance through art, music, dance, which are incentives to participate
and continue showing the richness of the country, however in the
urban sector these same appreciations are not being established, In
this sense, "in perspective, the discourses on identity and music are
centralized in a single line, alienating another group and not analyzing
to what extent the sound constitutes a way of bodily and emotional
relationship between subjects" (Villamil and Ortega, 2022).
In this sense, the project focused on the pedagogical models based on
musical identity, thus energizing the classes by addressing the need for
a solution to the problem; the promotion of cultural values allowed
students to become aware of the importance of cultural practices that
provide identity. As for the promotion of ancestral culture, this has
been taking root over time, which makes it a tool of great importance
for the formation of current and future generations, which can be
guaranteed over time the preservation of the same in the country.
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The musical culture in expressions such as the gaita, implies the
presence of an interculturality that merits the presence of the State and
social linkage; the richness of its culture for Colombia, according to
López and Otero, means "The teaching of the traditional dance of the
Colombian Caribbean as mediation in the learning of social sciences in
the municipality of Sincelejo department of Sucre, Colombia" (López
and Otero, 2016). Therefore, a series of workshops were used in its
teaching in the implementation of dance as a means of learning,
obtaining a positive response in the students who showed interest in
its practice.
The characteristic elements of the gaita are hallmarks of the traditional
popular culture of the country, are linked to the environment and the
diversity of artistic traditions (aesthetics) and styles of interpretation
of the musical, vocal and choreographic repertoire. The gaita culture is
transmitted generationally in formal and non-formal education.
Communities are proud to count among their members bagpipers and
their music generates a sense of common identity among all members
of the public.
In a local context, in the municipality of Ovejas, since 1985 the folklore
and musical talent of the artists are present in the National Pipe
Festival, which reflects the ancestral culture of the Zenú tribe that has
led it to be recognized as Cultural and Folkloric Heritage of Ovejas
(Agreement 018 of November 2002) and Heritage and Cultural
Interest of the Department of Sucre (Ordinance No. 08 of June 2004);
This annual event has allowed us to gradually refine the methodology
of participation, with the fundamental aim of preserving and
transmitting the cultural and folkloric traditions of the Caribbean
region.
The presence and participation of the students, at the moment has
limitations because it is done in an inertial way, it does not allow them
to become the architects for the development of musical and cultural
manifestations; according to the institution provides them with the
necessary means that propitiate and stimulate their practice; playful
didactic strategies can be contemplated, for this, values that preserve
the legacy and the preservation of the gaitas music and all the
associated manifestations must be promoted.
At the local level, the aim is to promote culture and diversity from the
academic responsibility to its social environment so that the people
who are part of the "educational community" know and value their
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roots and it becomes a generational issue, in the promotion and
projection of skills and abilities, conceived as a didactic playful
strategy based on the creation of gaita music seedbeds, a tool that
promotes values, ancestral culture and the active participation of
society. The cultural manifestations are binding and need to be
promoted to new scenarios from the academic to the social
environment, in order to know and value their roots and be a
generational issue; therefore the objectives implicitly carry a problem
that, by virtue of human initiatives, must be minimized or eradicated,
thus expressing the promotion of values, promotion of ancestral
culture and active participation of society.
Thus, the approach to the problem revolves around the gaita as an
intercultural bridge, in the socio-cultural context of the municipality
of Ovejas; since the beginning of the ancestors, an immense love for
folklore is born. The gaitas, llamadores, maracas and drums came to
life, delighting the hundreds of ears of the population, with the
implementation of savannah rhythms such as cumbia, porro,
merengue, puya and gaita rhythm.
In spite of the fact that there is a significant cultural route at the local
level, with the recognition of cultural heritage, there are limitations in
the development of pedagogical practices, i.e. the linking of the
different governmental bodies that consider these specificities of the
gaita culture and turn them into curricular activities, which will
require the coordinated participation of the executive and legislative
powers and the educational authorities, in order to legitimize such
proposals.
This tradition comes from generation to generation, with the novelty
that through time it has been losing its apogee in the municipality and
its surroundings, since people have left it aside and the essence of it
has been lost. For this reason, this research project is intended to
motivate sixth grade students through the construction of a folkloric
group of bagpipes to rescue the culture that is in the process of
extinction. On the subject of interculturality, there are limitations of
content and form; the fact that there is this cultural recognition has led
to a repeated presence of expressions with minimal innovative
elements that manage to broaden the spectrum of participants and a
social cohesion that is identified, through dialogue, sharing
experiences, knowledge and experiences in a mark of respect and
coexistence.
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At the local level, it can be identified that the main depositaries and
practitioners of this element of cultural heritage are those that
propitiate that this legacy remains dynamic, in this the researchers of
this project and, by analogy the professionals of the environment, can
also find the development of their potential, in harmony with the
manufacturers of bagpipes and the pipers, as well as the other
musicians, dancers and singers that accompany them, so that this
ancestral culture can be seen reflected and qualified. The Educational
Institution "San Rafael", seeks to promote the culture and the
empirical diversity, thus in the General Objective it is proposed: To
design a ludic didactic strategy, based on the creation of gaita music
seedbeds, as a tool to promote values and the recovery of the ancestral
culture.
The Justification of the project expresses that the research will follow
a defined methodology, will have a great impact on the cultural
dimension because it reflects the importance of the intangible heritage
that comes from and is directed to the human being, conceived as the
beginning and end of social processes.
Within the different alternative options that complement academic
programs, curricular structures and conventional means of teaching-
learning, musical culture is assumed not only as a subject or subject,
but as a cultural guideline that forms and forges aptitudes, skills and
abilities in people; it is considered as a referent is the legacy of the
ancestors: the gaita, musical expression that contributes to learning,
concentration and creativity.
Materials and Methods
The diagnostic phase and the propositional phase were developed in
order to learn about and propose the specificities of the topic. In the
first phase, the scenario was explored and secondary information was
reviewed through surveys, interviews and social forums. In the second,
inclusive approaches and ludic-didactic strategies were adopted, with
the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs).
Therefore, the Theory of Assimilation is shaped by the set of variables
that occur during the process of knowledge transfer for learning or
assimilation (Barzabal, Rodríguez, & Gimeno, 2018). In order to have
truthful and objective information, a survey format was applied to the
inhabitants of the municipality of Ovejas, which made it possible to
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know the characteristics of the object of study. The sample size was 138
surveys, randomly applied, sufficient and representative to achieve the
objectives set. The research was qualitative and provides depth to the
data, dispersion, interpretative richness, contextualization of the
environment or surroundings, details and unique experiences
(Hernández, 2014).
Finally, this qualitative research allowed for an in-depth exploration
of the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of the inhabitants of
Ovejas in relation to the object of study. The instruments used revealed
a diversity of opinions and views on the subject, as well as contextual
factors that influence the understanding and practice of the subject.
These findings have contributed to a more complete and detailed
understanding of the phenomenon studied and have provided a solid
basis for the development of strategies and actions aimed at improving
the situation. Participants expressed that community support and
collaboration among different actors are fundamental to achieve
successful results. Overall, the results of the qualitative research have
been valuable in identifying areas for improvement and designing
more effective and relevant interventions in this field with a
confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%.
Results
Playfulness, conceived as a concept and a higher category, is
materialized through the specific forms it assumes, in any case as an
expression of culture in a given context of time and space (Fulleda,
2013); the human being needs playfulness for every moment of life,
which is a fundamental part of its harmonious development; it is also
an attitude, a predisposition of being in front of life that forms and
forges the integral development of the individual, favoring
observation, reflection and critical spirit, enriching the vocabulary,
strengthening self-esteem and developing creativity (Rojas, 2002).
In the previous reference, pedagogical strategies are determinant in
the teaching-learning process, one of such forms is the game, or playful
activity par excellence, our first learning? are initiated in play or
playfulness (Fulleda, 2013), playing in this sense is a school for life and
for peace, it is the warmest form of learning, socialization and
coexistence (Zeledón and Vicaroli, 1988) that is carried out through
pre-established strategies and rules; finally play does not imply a
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conscious end, the work itself is a conscious end and is carried out to
achieve this end (Decroly, 2002).
The concept of playfulness associated with art, should be understood
as an enthronement in the sensitivity of being, it is the attitude with
which the different moments of existence are faced and the
relationship that occurs when interacting with others, (Jiménez Vélez,
2002) confirming the social nature of the human being; therefore the
playful arts, in their expression emanate emotions, creativity, passion
and sensitivity (Gómez, 2005).
Sport is considered a physical discipline, fundamental in the
educational processes, since thanks to it there is more communication,
union, between people, in addition to developing skills such as agility
that allow a better performance of the activities (Gómez, 2005).
Regarding the subject of playfulness in singing, it implies an aptitude
and an attitude, as it becomes a harmonized fact between the rational
of speech and the playful expression of singing, through which the
moods can be channeled, it favors socialization by tightening the
bonds of communication (Galvis & Zapata, 2000). Music is a language
that allows people to achieve the development of artistic skills, of their
language and to express their feelings to others (Valencia A. 2000), in
a multilateral (sometimes tacit) language.
In the use of free time, the human being in his free time seeks to do
what he likes and enjoys the most, taking advantage of those spaces of
time in which he does not have occupations to make time a useful
space (Goethe, 1749) and is framed in the concept of recreation,
conceived as that set of practices of a social nature, carried out
collectively or individually in leisure time, framed in a specific time
and space, which provide a transitory enjoyment, based on the social
value given and recognized to some of its components (Gerlero, 2005).
Values are criteria, principles, virtues that represent and identify an
individual within a social guild, this helps to highlight the qualities in
each being strengthening their beliefs, determine their behaviors and
express their interests and feelings, precepts that characterize a
person, they are the foundation of the ethical functions which are
related to the actions and their moral value. In the Educational
Institution "San Rafael", values have been enthroned, however, it is
conceived that everything is susceptible to be improved, especially in
such a sensitive subject for the human being and for society, hence the
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emphasis and the actions that are made to achieve it, will always admit
successive contributions.
In principle, all values are of human nature, however, in the specificity
of the concept, human values govern the behavior of people in society;
this is expressed by a spiritual leader, for whom: to lead a meaningful
life, it is necessary to appreciate others, pay attention to human values
and try to cultivate inner peace (Dalai Lama XIV). This reference is
assumed as a cross-cutting issue in the educational institution.
Values are related to ethics, morals and principles of a person, where
aesthetic values form and forge that personality; in this way,
education, oriented to the formation of the soul and the respectful
cultivation of the being, is considered of higher rank than instruction,
technical skills or scientific theories (Savater, 1997); education in
values implies directing the academic and pedagogical process
towards an ideal model of formation, developing the link with reality
through its socially significant aspects, giving meaning to the socio-
humanistic formation (Prawda J. (1985).
In the process of formation of the human being, education in values
and intercultural communication become referents of formation for
peaceful coexistence and in that objective the basis for improving
coexistence within schools is the formation in social values (Renzilly,
2007), one of the motives to achieve it is music, a socio-cultural
product, because at the same time that it is a means of communication
by building an artistic manifestation, it contributes to the social
construction of reality (Rubén Gómez, quoted by Penagos 2012).
At the social level, the Ancestral Culture, understood as the set of
cultural practices, traditions, ways of life and values of a person or
groups of people.... such identity is constructed through the
interaction between individual and society (Arévalo and Revilla,
2018); conceived as a vital issue, learning is the process or set of
processes through which or from which ideas, skills, abilities, skills,
behaviors or values are acquired or modified, as a result of or with the
help of study, experience, instruction, reasoning or observation
(Zapata Ríos, 2015).
Currently, in the face of cultural identity and ancestral knowledge in
education, the exploration of a range of options is favored with the aim
of creating relevant futures, full of meaning, that condense a goal
theory capable of integrating and propelling different ideas and
representations; this identity is historically defined through multiple
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aspects in which its culture is embodied, such as language, an
instrument of communication between the members of a community,
social relations, rites and ceremonies, or collective behaviors, that is,
value and belief systems.
Regarding the cosmovision, it is the conception that a social group has
of its immediate natural and social environment, based on
fundamental questions such as: Who are we? Where do we come from?
Where are we going after life? What is it and who created everything
around us? (Guadalupe Vargas, 2022); the answers to these questions
generate identity; thus, the people of Ovejas are the result of the wise
and courageous construction of their ancestors. Their legacy has been
relevant and the impulse and progress that follows is of optimism and
admits social contributions in a permanent way.
The legacy of the ancestors leaves traces, marks in the physical space,
traces that are "evidence" that something happened or what happened
(Gómez, 2000), both in its substance and in its form. In the local and
regional environment, music is a generational reference, its double
condition of science and art makes that, contemplated under the
educational prism, arguments in its favor proliferate coming from
other disciplines such as sociology (Carbajo, 2009), it is a means to
understand the diversity of peoples and thus be able to acquire a
cultural identity by the local context (Focus group, Ovejas, 2023).
Students enjoy the class more by singing and listening to music, a
methodology that has been of great use for teachers and young people,
music allows greater assimilation of the vocabulary and grammatical
structures studied (Alexandra Tobar and Orlando Álvarez, 2018); no
other teaching subject has had and continues to have to be justified as
much as music.
In compliance with the general objective: To design a ludic didactic
strategy, based on the creation of gaita music seedbeds, as a tool to
promote values and the recovery of ancestral culture with students in
grade 6 of the San Rafael de Ovejas-Sucre Rural Educational
Institution, four categories of analysis were contemplated: playfulness,
interculturality, values and ancestral culture; the success of the
proposed research will depend on its fulfillment and in this context
conceptual referents were developed, supported by quantitative
information, which led to the determination of viable and objective
application strategies.
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In the expected results, for the third specific objective: "Strengthen the
cultural legacy of local ancestors, through the institutionalization of a
Pedagogical Model that uses musical expression as an academic
reference in the teaching - learning process", the subcategories of
ancestral knowledge and cosmovision were addressed; the first
conceived as that legacy that has forged individuals, families and
society, and the second, the individual conception of the world that, in
a dialectical sense, forge the cultural identity of a people, finding viable
alternatives of execution in terms of the pedagogical ludic applied in
the institution, as a multiplying factor of musical culture.
The representative people of Ovejas, by the constant study and practice
of culture, provided valuable information that confirms that this
ancestral knowledge is in force, forms and forges individuals and a
society and provides that identity to an entire people. The people who
have the experience and knowledge of the people are called "Los
sabedores" and are the faithful example of the cultural
representativeness of the town and the region, thus expressing that
"The town of Ovejas is the result of the wise and courageous
construction of the ancestors. I believe that their legacy has been
relevant and the impulse and progress that follows is of optimism and
admits social contributions in a permanent way" (Pérez, Ovejas,
2023).
The cultural identity of a people is historically defined through
multiple aspects in which its culture is embodied, such as language, an
instrument of communication among the members of a community,
social relations, rites and ceremonies, or collective behaviors, that is,
value and belief systems. In this vein, as expressed in a millenary
phrase of the American Indians: "Don't go behind me, maybe I don't
know how to lead. Don't go in front, I may not want to follow you.
Come beside me so we can walk together" (Lavigne, 2018). The path
traveled by the ancestors has forged this present that is intended to be
perpetuated with the introduction of new and improved referents
forging people and society.
Regardless of the type of traditions that have been inherited, in Ovejas,
the reality is that "The cultural wealth left by our wise ancestors is at a
level of development that admits many contributions" (Focus groups,
Ovejas, 2023). The above statement will be, in turn, the legacy that
current generations pass on: Our present is the inheritance of the
ancestors and our future is what we want to build, with the impetus of