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Music of Bolivia
Panpipe (siku) and charango music of the altiplano, huayno, Afro-Peruvian landó and festejo, Ecuadorian pasillo, Chilean nueva canción.
Sung and searched in Spanish, Quechua, Aymara. The YouTube button above can run your search in that language.
A brief history
History
Like most of its neighbors, Bolivia was long dominated by Spain and its attendant culture. Even after independence, Bolivian music was largely based on European forms. In 1952, a revolution established nationalistic reforms which included cultural and political awareness of the Aymara and Quechua natives. Intellectuals in the country began wearing ponchos and otherwise associating themselves with native cultures, and the new government promoted native folklore by, among other methods, establishing a folklore department in the Bolivian Ministry of Education. Awareness of native music, spirituality and art continued into the 1960s. In 1965, Edgar 'Yayo' Jofré formed a quartet called Los Jairas in La Paz. With Bolivian folk music gaining popularity throughout the country, Jofré, along with Alfredo Dominguez, Ernesto Cavour Julio Godoy, and Gilbert Favre used traditional music in modified forms to appeal to urban-dwellers and Europeans. Later groups like Wara, Khanata, Paja Brava (1977–2000), Savia Andina, and especially Los Kjarkas and Kalamarka helped further refine this fusion.
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Playing now
What Bolivia is listening to in 2026
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Live radio
Radio from Bolivia
Music only, no news or talk. Stations that play the local tradition come first, then the most listened. They play in the corner of the page.
Station directory by Radio Browser Streams come from each station's own server.