Voice of the Waterlily- Our Stories

Victor Jara is the essence of revolutionary song and the greatest example of a revolutionary artist. Today we will be taking a closer look at his "Pongo en Tus Manos Abiertas" album. Víctor sings tributes to four very different revolutionaries, an ode to guerrillas in Bolivia, of the love of two workers, and much more.

Album:

Pongo en Tus Manos Abiertas

I think Che Guevara is one of the most misunderstood historical figures, whether through ignorance or choice. We often get a highly unbalanced perspective on Che, one insists he was a murderous tyrant, while the other side, that often tries to defend him, lacks a depth of understanding as to who the revolutionary and man Che Guevara really are. Today, we take a look at Che through the eyes of musicians ahead of the 56th anniversary of his murder. We'll be looking at how Che's example has inspired artists and how music serves as a vehicle of memory. Whether it's Silvio Rodriguez's "Fusil Contra Fusil", Carlos Puebla's "Hasta Siempre" or Víctor Jara's "El Aparecido", Che has certainly captured the imagination of the artist and the listener.

Songs:

Hasta Siempre - Carlos Puebla

Fusil Contra Fusil - Silvio Rodriguez

Canción al Guerillero Heroico - Elena Burke

El Aparecido - Víctor Jara

Que Pare El Son - Carlos Puebla

Nada Más - Atahualpa Yupanqui

Una Canción Necesaria - Vincente Feliú

America Te Hablo de Ernesto - Silvio Rodriguez

Makongo Machevere - Grupo Oba Ilu

Maferefun Che - Mario Balmaseda

Zamba del Che - Víctor Jara

Carta al Che - Inti-Illimani

Su Nombre Ardio Como Pajar - Patricio Manns

La Era Esta Pariéndo Un Corazón - Silvio Rodriguez

Si El Poeta Eres Tu - Pablo Milanés

Canción del Hombre Nuevo - Daniel Vigilietti

Lo Eterno - Carlos Puebla

Hombre - Silvio Rodriguez

Tonada del Albedrío - Silvio Rodriguez

Hasta Siempre - Maria Farantouri.

There are dates in history that have become infamous because of horrific acts of human violence, where the shocking and senseless loss of human life traumatizes and horrifies the world and embeds wounds in the psyche of individuals and entire nations. One of those infamous dates is September 11, except we aren’t talking about 2001, we are talking about 1973. Twenty-eight years earlier, Chile experienced that same horror, death and terror. This time, however, the United States fully supported what happened. And we have to ask, why? Because Chileans exercised their democratic rights and elected a socialist and self proclaimed Marxist, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The US government deemed this utterly unacceptable, their solution was to support a coup that would take the lives of thousands, torture thousands more and embed deep wounds in the psyche of Chile. While in the U.S., people pledge to never forget September 11, 2001, they will continually ignore Chile’s 9/11, when the United States fully supported the overthrow of a democratically elected president in favor of a fascist who brutally took power, savagely tried to destroy opposition and terrorized an entire country, not once, not for one day, but for 17 long and dark years, Pinochet ruled by a doctrine of terror, using torture and disappearances as a form of government. This is the 2nd part of a two part show we will be talking about what happened in Chile, but most importantly we will be using memory as a way to honor the victims of that regime and help heal those wounds. We will be using memory as an act of resistance. 

⁠CLICK HERE for full list of sources links, audio credits and songs.⁠

Illapu - Aunque los pasos toquen (video) ⁠https://youtu.be/5mpgFbC1j5Y?feature=shared⁠

There are dates in history that have become infamous because of horrific acts of human violence, where the shocking and senseless loss of human life traumatizes and horrifies the world and embeds wounds in the psyche of individuals and entire nations. One of those infamous dates is September 11, except we aren’t talking about 2001, we are talking about 1973. Twenty-eight years earlier, Chile experienced that same horror, death and terror. This time, however, the United States fully supported what happened. And we have to ask, why? Because Chileans exercised their democratic rights and elected a socialist and self proclaimed Marxist, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The US government deemed this utterly unacceptable, their solution was to support a coup that would take the lives of thousands, torture thousands more and embed deep wounds in the psyche of Chile. While in the U.S., people pledge to never forget September 11, 2001, they will continually ignore Chile’s 9/11, when the United States fully supported the overthrow of a democratically elected president in favor of a fascist who brutally took power, savagely tried to destroy opposition and terrorized an entire country, not once, not for one day, but for 17 long and dark years, Pinochet ruled by a doctrine of terror, using torture and disappearances as a form of government. Starting today in a two part show we will be talking about what happened in Chile, but most importantly we will be using memory as a way to honor the victims of that regime and help heal those wounds. We will be using memory as an act of resistance. 

CLICK HERE for full list of sources links, audio credits and songs.

Víctor Jara sang the reality of his people; their past, present and dreams for a better future. His music was deeply political but also deeply human. Today we will be taking a closer look at his 1971 "El Derecho de Vivir en Paz" album and talk a bit about its meaning. As we head into September, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. backed military coup that would oust Allende from presidency and take the lives of thousands, including Víctor Jara (a show is coming about that next week). So, it is essential we take this time to commemorate, remember and evoke for justice.

Songs: (all written by Jara unless otherwise stated)

El Derecho de Vivir en Paz (with Los Blops)

Abre La Ventana

La Partida (instrumental)

El Niño Yuntero - comp. Miguel Hernandez

Vamos Por Ancho Camino

A La Molina No Voy Mas

A Cuba

Las Casitas de Barrio Alto

El Alma Llena de Banderas (originally Little Boxes, comp. Malvina Reynolds)

Ni Chicha Ni Limoná

Plegaria a un Labrador

B.R.P