marimba artwork
“The Marimbas” Paintings and drawings are Efraín Andrade’s signature theme as a painter.
While over the years he did many landscapes, portraits and still-lives, it is the “The Marimbas” that he is most known for, and that best represent the culture of the people of Esmeraldas.
The Marimba paintings depict the instrument, the players, and usually a few dancers. An Ecuadorian marimba ensemble is composed of a bombo, drums, a cununo, and a guasá.
The Marimba dance served as expression of freedom for people since their arrival in Esmeraldas. At the beginning of the 20th century, marimba dances were regulated which greatly affected the culture of the African – Descent Ecuadorians. But in the middle of the 20th century, they began to resurrect their beloved marimba music, dances and traditions.
Perhaps the renaissance of the Marimba culture had something to do with the arrival of Efraín Andrade in Esmeraldas in 1951. His admiration for the people and culture that descended from Africa was demonstrated in the paintings he created, and exhibited in the Casa de la Cultura of Esmeraldas.
The artwork of Efraín Andrade made an impact on the culture of Esmeraldas, and brought back the resilient spirit of the people, and their sense of pride.
mural
Mural “Al Futbolista” Folke Anderson Soccer Stadium
Commissioned by Folke Anderson, Efraín Andrade designed and built the mural located on the frontispiece of the Folke Anderson Stadium of Esmeraldas. Andrade was inspired to create this mural by the people of Esmeraldas, and their love of soccer. The eleven figures on the mural represent not only the soccer players from Esmeraldas, but also everyone who, at one point or another, kicked the ball on the field of their beloved stadium.
Andrade’s mural has contributed to the inspiration of all who dreamed of becoming a soccer player like the ones at the entrance of their stadium.
Folke Anderson, the influential owner of the Astral Company was the promoter of the stadium’s construction. Folke Anderson was born in Sweden, and by 1948 he was cultivating and exporting bananas from Ecuador to the USA, and Europe. His fruit trade business played a key role in the economic life of Esmeraldas in the 1950s and 1960s.
The mural stands today after over a half century as a tribute to the foresight of Folke Anderson, and the artistic skill of Efraín Andrade. As a result, this mural is being considered for designation as Cultural Heritage.
Efraín Andrade Viteri sculpting the “Al Futbolista” Mural, Folke Anderson Stadium, Esmeraldas. (1956)
Banana Era
Banana Embarque
“Banana Embarque” is the process of inspecting, and loading bananas onto cargo ships for exportation. Efraín Andrade has documented, and preserved these vital, and significant practices that were part of the culture of Esmeraldas in the 1950s and 1960s.
The photos and paintings of Efraín Andrade depict the story of the Banana Golden Era in the Province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
Andrade spent time among workers in the fields. He closely watched laborers as they performed their duties of harvesting, transporting, and loading bananas for exportation to the USA and Europe. He captured in black and white their difficult working conditions —extreme heat, and often-muddy terrain. Thus, Efrain Andrade:
•Preserved local culture through his artwork.
•By pictures, and paintings documented the process of “Embarque of Banano” from the beginning to the end.
•Spotlighted and highlighted the working people of Esmeraldas.
•Continued to paint the story of the banana era of Esmeraldas long after others moved on following the banana industry’s decline.
