Icelandic singer-songwriter Olof Arnalds
In our Geo Quiz we’re looking for the South American home of the charango which also has links to Iceland. For the Global Hit, Marco Werman speaks with Icelandic singer-songwriter Olof Arnalds who sings and plays airy Icelandic songs on the charango.
Our Geo Quiz theme is an arrangement of a traditional song from Mali called Diaraby. It’s played here on a West African instrument, a four stringed lute called the ngoni, a precursor to the banjo. Now, lets switch to another stringed instrument: the charango. It looks a bit like a ukelele. The question for you is where does the charango come from? So, if you can, name one of the three countries where you’d likely find a charango. Geo Answer:
The answer is Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. All three are associated with the origins of a stringed instrument, the charango. It also has a link to Iceland. The World’s Marco Werman speaks with Icelandic singer-songwriter Olof Arnalds who sings and plays airy Icelandic songs on the charango.
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?