In September 2015 I spent two weeks in Cali, Colombia, on a Fulbright-sponsored project, visiting the Universidad del Valle (University of the Valley). Nicknamed Univalle, the university is named for the Cauca River Valley in the western part of the country. The purpose of my visit was to meet with students and professors in a research center in the School of Engineering that specializes in automation and machine intelligence, to look for opportunities for collaboration between Univalle and the University of Idaho, where I teach.
Cali is known for music and dancing, especially salsa. The city hosts two major music festivals every year: Mono Nuñez, which features Andean music, and Petronio Alvarez, focusing on Afro-Colombian music from the Pacific coast.
The director of the research center, “El Profe. Eduardo”, performs in a folk music group with other university faculty members, and I was privileged to attend a rehearsal at his house. Here’s a video. “El Profe”, is in the yellow shirt, and his wife is in the pink blouse. The percussionist teaches chemistry, and the lady with the guitar teaches music. The song is from Argentina.