In five words

Long conversations with perfect strangers.

What sound defines your city?

Street traffic and construction. Paraguay’s current economic boom is manifesting itself in ever more cars and motorcycles on the road and rampant real estate development throughout Asuncion.

Everyone’s tuning into ...

HEi Social Music Network showcases national talent alongside the international rock, pop and dance music this city loves to groove to. A obligatory stop for up and coming acts.

Best local artist?

Pandilla Guarani (the name means “Guarani Gang”) is an artists´ collective with a pop art bent. Check out Regi Riva for whimsical illustrations but if you want something edgier follow WaldoLongo. I’m also a fan of photographer Martin Crespo’s #MondoEusebio shots of daily life along Avenida Eusebio Ayala, a main artery into the city from the countryside.

WaldoLongo’s instagram mixes illustration and photography

Who’s top of the playlist?

The Kchiporros´ songs feature Guaraní and Spanish lyrics set to a boisterous blend of cumbia and ska (with other Latin influences). Their songs are catchy and often humorous, with a dash of pop culture and social commentary. Their music reflects the upbeat and carefree attitude of Asuncion and has inspired several new additions to the “rock nacional” music scene.

Best current venue?

La Cachamba bar is a repurposed train workshop

La Cachamba Wagon Bar has repurposed the city’s defunct train workshop into a unique bar and event venue. Bartenders mix drinks with local ingredients (like the “mojito Guarani”) inside old train cars and music includes lots of national bands as well as DJ sessions featuring funk, reggae and soul. A super relaxed vibe with a historic backdrop, just like Asuncion itself.

The look on the street

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Asunción street style Photograph: Diego Parra/Ao Indumentaria

Paraguayans used to take their cues almost exclusively from Argentina and Brazil but today they are turning to their own culture for inspiration, using appliquéd ñandutí lace on everything from blouses to tereré thermoses and emblazoning t-shirts with cheeky phrases in Guaraní. In general women favor tight pants, bright colors, and sky high shoes while men go for preppy khakis and button down shirts. Everyone makes sure to look their selfie-ready best, with makeup, hair and accessories in place, even when pushing onto a crowded city bus or sweating in 40C heat.

Best cultural Instagram?

The Fotociclo instagram account is part of a multiplatform project that is documenting daily life in Asuncion’s 70 neighborhoods. Images are recorded with a homegrown version of the Google street view car which was inspired by a cross between the Mars rover and a pushcart. A great way to see parts of the city most tourists will never venture to.

What’s the big talking point?

Definitely the Pope’s recent visit. The excitement kicked off a few months ago when Pope Francis told a Paraguayan visiting the Vatican to please have some chipa (local cheese bread) ready for his visit this month. As a demonstration of Paraguay’s devotion and Jesuit legacy a stunning altar made of 30,000 ears of corn was created for the papal mass in Asunción. However, many point out that the government spent large sums to fill potholes and repaint buildings while continuing to ignore underlying issues that the Pope himself has championed such as social injustice and poverty.

What your city does better than anyone …

Making music out of trash. The Orquesta de Reciclados de Cateura is a youth orchestra whose members live in and around Asuncion’s largest dump, Cateura. The band’s instruments are made out of materials recycled from the dump, including oil drums, utensils, even broken shoe heels. The orchestra is the subject of the recently released documentary Landfill Harmonic and toured with Metallica in 2014. Another band named the H2O Orchestra raises awareness of water conservation issues by performing with instruments made from recycled water bottles, hoses and water cooler jugs. In general Paraguayans are quite inventive when it comes to reusing materials, and they are also very musical by nature, so this is a perfect combination of the two traits.

Comedy Gold

Like many of the country’s most popular comedians, Gustavo Cabañas got his start on the “Telecomio” variety show and now acts both on stage and on screen. He is currently killing it with fellow “Telecomio” alum Clara Franco on “Parodiando,” a reality competition in which contestants parody famous musical acts. During his recent parody of PSY he replaced lyrics with dirty phrases in Guarani wherever possible; this is par for the course for any Paraguayan comedy. No matter the comedian, every joke is funnier if the punch line is in Guaraní.



Moment in history?

The presidential election of former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo in 2008 was a game changer for Paraguayans. His win broke 61 years of Colorado party rule (including 35 years of the brutal Stroessner dictatorship) and woke people up to the idea change was, in fact, possible. True, he was subsequently discovered to have fathered several illegitimate children and later impeached by his own vice-president. But his election still stands as a watershed moment which motivated an up and coming generation to dream big and actively shape the future of their country.



Best recent street art?

The façade of El Poniente, (see main image) a dive bar in the city centre. Created by the bright and trippy Oz Montania who is one of the country’s most prolific graffiti artists.

From me

Romy Natalia Goldberg is the author of the Other Places Guide to Paraguay and bilingual blog www.discoveringparaguay.com. Follow her on Instagram here.

Five to follow

CCJES AECID – Paraguay

Chipera Gaga



Ondas Avyu

JorgeSaenzPy

Zenoura Cazador de Instantes