By Diana Arévalo
Cumbia singers and groups and those of its sub-genre chicha in Peru, face increasing violence and insecurity as criminal groups in the country expand their influence. In 2024, the situation deteriorated significantly, and artists of these popular music genres were victims of multiple violations of their right to freedom of artistic and creative expression. These included threats, extortion, attacks on the vehicles in which they travelled during their inter-regional tours, and the theft of their instruments. Some were murdered.
Cumbia arrived in Peru from Colombia in the 1960s and acquired its own identity when Peruvian groups fused with rock and roll and traditional rhythms from the coast, highlands and jungle, giving rise to Peruvian cumbia. Chicha emerged as an adaptation of Andean popular music to cumbia rhythms and consolidated itself as a sub-genre.
This crisis of violence is part of a context of widespread insecurity across Peru. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), in October 2024 the number of homicides in the country surpassed the total recorded in 2023, while reports of extortion increased fivefold between 2021 and 2023. Despite the government’s failed efforts to contain violence by declaring states of emergency, Peru’s National Police Intelligence Directorate reported that crime continued to rise in 2024. Extortion reached 19,432 cases, affecting various sectors of society, while contract killings registered 1,125 incidents, mainly linked to settling scores between gang groups and collecting bribes.
In this climate of insecurity, cumbia and chicha groups and artists, genres of national and regional relevance, have been frequent targets of organised crime. On 25 May 2024, members of the well-known orchestra Agua Marinawere victims of an attack in the city of Lima, when an unknown gunman fired at least eight shots at the establishment where they were performing. Minutes later, a grenade exploded nearby, causing material damage and forcing the cancellation of the concert. Attacks against artists have also taken the form of direct threats and extortion. In June 2024, singer Azucena Calvay received death threats and extortion by criminals who demanded large sums of money to guarantee her safety during her scheduled performances as part of her national tour.
In other cases, violence has reached extreme levels resulting in the murder of several artists. On 11 June 2024, the former lead singer of the group Los Claveles de la Cumbia, Jaime Carmona was shot dead while performing in a restaurant in Lima. His murder occurred in the middle of a performance and was recorded in a live broadcast on TikTok.
Five months later, on 3 November 2024, the lead singer of the Hermanos Guerrero orchestra, Thalía Manrique Castillo, was murdered during a robbery of the bus in which she was travelling with her bandmates after a performance in the city of Bagua Grande, located in the Peruvian Amazon. The criminals also stole the band’s musical instruments.
“You will always live in our hearts” Source: Hermanos Guerrero Facebook
As if these events were not already a major obstacle for artists, organized crime has developed new strategies to sabotage their work and silence their expressions. In this scenario, death threats and violence have also forced the cancellation of concerts, such as on 15 November 2024, when the singer Pamela Franco received extortion calls demanding the payment of a sum of money in exchange for permission to perform at the Los Palitos sports field in Arequipa. Faced with the threat and prioritising the safety of her team, the artist cancelled her participation in the event. A month later, on 1 December 2024, the well-known group Armonía 10 suffered a similar attack in Callao, when a motorcyclist shot at the bus transporting the musicians to a performance. Days earlier, the group had received extortion messages demanding money to guarantee their safety during the event.
Source: Facebook – Armonia10Official
Cumbia and chicha have accompanied Peru’s modern history, giving voice to the joy, uprootedness and struggle of those who perform and listen to them. Today, however, the musicians who keep these musical genres alive face a growing wave of violence. The lack of security guarantees and the strengthening presence of organised crime have turned their profession into a high-risk occupation, forcing them to travel dangerous routes and exposing them to threats, extortion and even murder. On this Music Freedom Day 2025, Freemuse and Cartel Urbano call for international solidarity with these artists, who, despite the danger, continue performing and defending their right to express and share their music with the world.
Links to the songs of these groups:
- Armonia 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFcdgePGjHI
- Agua Marina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B077J6XF58I&list=RDEMITnCNEUQNNBAmy07ayK0RQ&start_radio=1
- Pamela Franco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi9Qucypu8U
- Los claveles de la cumbia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXXGgBf-d0w
Diana Arévalo monitors the Latin Americas region for Freemuse, and is a Researcher and multimedia producer for “Bulla” Radar on artistic freedom at the Cartel Urbano Foundation.
