Family - Edelmira Massa Olivella - Presentation at a conference - 2013

This collection has been digitized in its entirety and is available at https://www.jstor.org/site/vanderbilt/dzo/.

The Delia Zapata Olivella collection encompasses her work as an ethnographer, dancer, choreographer, professor, and Colombian folklorist. While she lived in Cartagena, Calí, and spent time researching in the pacific and atlantic regions of Colombia, she built her career in Bogotá. Zapata Olivella was born in Lorica, Colombia to parents with Afro-Colombian and Indigenous heritage, and evidence of her work to explore and promote Colombia’s tri-ethnic roots are provided in the collection. Her performances and those of her dance groups met acclaim from Colombian and international audiences.

The Delia Zapata Olivella papers contain an array of materials from her personal life and career. The collection is divided into 11 series: Personal, Career, Newspaper and magazine clippings, Spirituality, Posthumous, Original art, Photographs, Posters and Flyers, Oversize, Realia, and Audio Visual. Within these series, the particulars of her multifaceted life unfold.

Series 1: PERSONAL Materials demonstrate her family’s parallel interests in Folklore, Afro Colombian and Indigenous identity in Colombia, and writing. The categories include her daughter Edelmira Massa Olivella’s career-related and personal papers and writings by her brother Juan Zapata Olivella.

Series 2: CAREER Correspondences - Incoming and outgoing letters related to Delia Zapata Olivella’s projects throughout her career. They are organized by date and indicate the process of productions, administration, and invitations. Highlights include correspondences surrounding the performance at Radio City Music Hall (1974), a letter from President Belisario Betancur (1982), and updates about her book “Manual de danzas del litoral pacífico y Chocó de Colombia” (1998).

Administration - Documents from the administration of her various projects including the Fundación Instituto Folclórico Colombiano, Danzas Folclóricas Colombianas, and El Palenque.

ATABI - Collection of materials related to the 1977 production. Includes sheet music, reviews, and a resignation letter from the composer, Raul Mojica Mesa.

Programs - Mostly booklet style programs that include descriptions of folkloric dances. There are a few hand-designed programs in the collection. The materials are organized by performance location nationally and internationally.

Posters and Flyers - These legal-size or smaller materials promoted performances, conferences, and festivals including the Primer Festival Mundial de Folclor and the Primer Congreso Mundial de Brujería.

Fieldwork - This sub-series includes transcriptions of interviews in rural Colombia, guides to ethnographic research, and essays based on the locations she visited.

Teaching - Administrative documents, lecture notes, student essays, theses, and educational projects are arranged by higher education institutions. These collections from her academic career focus on her work at Universidad Nacional and Universidad Antonio Nariño.

Cultural education - Document related to non-profit and governmental programs designed to build cultural literacy in communities. These are primarily proposals for workshops or materials related to their administration.

Professional affiliations - Meeting notes, decrees, and committee lists comprise this sub-series of materials. Some affiliations include Association of choreographers and dancers (ACOBALA), Conseil International de Organisations de Festivals et d’Arts Traditionnels (C.I.O.F.F) International folk festival council, and Fundación Colombiana de Investigaciones Folclóricas.

Conference proceedings - Essays, guides, and attendee lists for conferences related to folkloric and black culture. Highlights include presentations for the First International Conference on Witchcraft, presentation on Vallenato at the IV International Book Fair in Bogota, and 13th Congreso de COTAL performance by Delia Zapata Olivella group.

Writings - Includes handwritten, typed, and published texts by Delia Zapata Olivella. Drafts of her book “Manual de danzas del litoral pacífico y Chocó de Colombia”, descriptions of folkloric dances with handwritten sheet music and choreography, essays on folklore culture, and her autobiography stand out in this sub-series.

Folkloric dance - These texts and choreography diagrams are about specific folkloric dances by region in Colombia. Highlights include handwritten diagrams and essays on dances in Antioquia, Sucre, and Riohacha. It also contains an essay on Cabildo in Carnival in English.

Folkloric history - A grouping of texts related to folkloric history in Colombia and abroad. These include music, legends, essays on particular regions of Colombia. Highlights include a series on folklore by Octavio Marulanda, an article on witchcraft in Boyacá, and an essay about the cultural history of Cauca, Valle, Nariño, and Chocó.

Indigenous history - Articles and essays on Indigenous peoples in Colombia. Includes a Manuscript on 500 years of Wayuu history and a booklet on music of the Guambiano.

Readings - Articles and essays on dance, music history, general folklore, and reports.

Festivals - Listings and information about folkloric events in Colombia and abroad.

Sheet music - A collection of handwritten and published music. Mostly centered on Colombian folkloric styles including the bambuco and contradanza.

Lyrics - Handwritten, typed, and/or published lyrics of original and folkloric music across Colombia. Highlights include Bullerengues from Evitar, Colombia, “Gaita negra para Delia Zapata”, various songs for the “Cumbia” dance, and “El Fandango” written for Manuel Zapata Olivella.

Theater - Essays, performance reviews, and notebooks focused on theater. Examples include, Analysis and descriptions of scenes in “Rambao,” Booklet on staging “Mojiganges de Torbellino”, and CV for director, playwright, and professor Rosario Montaña de Forero.

Scripts - An assortment of typed scripts for folkloric and contemporary presentations. Many scripts contain handwritten notes and multiple drafts. Highlights include “Río Sinú - Leyenda Sinuana” by an unknown author, “El hojarasquín” by Octavio Marulanda, and “La conquista de la miel” by Rosario Montaña.

Short stories - Texts featuring legends, contemporary reflections, and folkloric tales combine in this sub-series. Examples include: “El barco de silencio” by Luis Alfonso Obando and Legends written by Luis Delio Gomez.

Poetry - This sub-series contains typed, handwritten, and published poems of which Delia Zapata Olivella had a significant collection. Examples include: “Un poema de Gabriel Obregon” featuring Delia Zapata Olivella and “Romance de la muerte del negro candelario” by José Manuel Vergara.

Original art - This sub-series contains a collection of two-dimensional works on paper. These include handmade presentations of folkloric dances and costumes and drawings of costumes by Edelmira Massa Olivella, which were used for programs and to illustrate the “Manual de danzas del litoral pacífico y Chocó de Colombia.”

Related materials - Ranging from programs of international folkloric groups to handwritten inventories of Delia Zapata Olivella’s items, this collection of items demonstrate her broader interests.

SERIES 3: NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS AND MAGAZINES Newspapers and magazine clippings provide insight into the dancer, director, and choreographer’s reception nationally and internationally. These are organized by year and location of publication. The related materials section contains her collections of magazines and articles on folkloric and political topics. Some of these are available in digital files. SERIES 4: SPIRITUALITY This series focuses on Delia Zapata Olivella’s collection of texts and hand-written notes on the subject of spirituality. These materials reflect her interests in world religions and spiritual practices. It is not clear which of these she practiced personally. Highlights include a prayer book in Guajiro language, prayer to mother nature, and handwritten prayers.

SERIES 5: POSTHUMOUS This series contains newspaper clippings, homage performance announcements, and condolence cards honoring Delia Zapata Olivella. These demonstrate the reactions to her death and impact of her career.

SERIES 6: ORIGINAL ART This series contains two-dimensional works of art (mostly on paper) that Delia Zapata Olivella collected. These include figurative line drawings, paintings/drawings by Edelmira Massa Olivella, and mixed-media works.

SERIES 7: REALIA The series contains assorted objects within the Delia Zapata Olivella collection. Highlights include a two-dimensional face mask, hand-elaborated cassette tape cases, and a faux leather pouch.

SERIES 8 : OVERSIZE The oversize collection consists of original art, documents, certificates, and sheet music that are larger than legal size paper. Highlights include a pair of original artworks by Edelmira Massa Olivella, Award for the Comité del desfile del dia de la raza in New York City (1966), and a participation certificate for Primer Congreso Mundial de Brujería.

SERIES 9: OVERSIZE POSTERS AND FLYERS A collection of posters and announcements for performance in Colombia and abroad. Related materials include posters for conferences, festivals, and performances that were not focused on Delia Zapata Olivella. Highlights include posters for a Colombian presentation at Russian national assembly (August 26, 1957), Danzas Folclóricas Colombianas de Delia Zapata Olivella 3-color print for “Cabildo en Carnaval” designed by Edelmira Massa Olivella, and “ATABI” at Teatro Jorge Eliecer Gaitan (March 12).

SERIES 10: PHOTOGRAPHS The photograph collection includes over 400 photographs featuring Delia Zapata Olivella’s travels, performances, conferences, and family. A group of these photos featuring folkloric dance and attire are available in digital formats.

SERIES 11: AUDIO VISUAL The audio visual collection for Delia Zapata Olivella features records, CDs, floppy diskettes, cassette tapes, 8mm film, and VHS and Beta videos. A group of 15 VHS tapes are available in digital formats. These contain footage of folkloric dances from field investigations in rural areas of Colombia and folkloric ballet performances on stage.