New museum in Colonial City celebrates merengue and bachata heritage

Santo Domingo.- The Museum of Merengue and Bachata (MUMBA) was officially inaugurated in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City, offering an immersive cultural experience that blends music, history, gastronomy, technology, and design. Its core is dedicated to honoring merengue and bachata, musical genres declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The opening event gathered journalists, artists, cultural managers, and government authorities. Singer-songwriter and cultural promoter José Antonio Rodríguez, who led efforts for UNESCO’s recognition, explained that the museum seeks to be a “living space” where Dominican identity is celebrated daily through permanent experiences, not just on special occasions.

MUMBA features a variety of interactive and artistic spaces, including El Perico Ripiao, a stage and public recording studio; El Bucajaya, an NFC-guided cultural tour; El Tumbarrocío, a vibrant courtyard bar; and El Bacharengue, an intimate venue with projection mapping and vinyl listening sessions. Together with its cultural shop Pal’agayú, these attractions aim to make MUMBA a dynamic hub where visitors can dance, sing, and experience Dominican culture in new ways.