Revolutionary Music

Viva la revolucion! Many U.S. Latinos remain loyal to salsa’s roots, even as a revolution brewing South of the Border is shaking up the New World Order.

What am I babbling about? I’ll explain shortly. First, check out a video, The Politics of Rhythm. (It’s only about seven minutes long.)

After you watch that video, you’ll probably know more about salsa than the vast majority of dancers in the U.S. Many salsa addicts don’t have a clue about salsa’s very political roots, nor do most really care. And that might be perfectly OK, because dance means different things to different people.

But if this topic interests you, read on.

Salsa

If rock had never been invented, people might now be chanting “Sex, drugs and salsa.” In fact, salsa was born in New York City in the 1970s, and it was highly politicized.

Unfortunately, salsa, like music, died in the ’70s - or did it?

Dr. Francis Aparicio, who teaches Latin American studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, offers some intriguing insights in a recent interview: “Dancing is a political act for many Puerto Ricans and for many Latinos in the United States.” (~7:02) “Dancing is actually a very political space . . . not in a sense of political parties but in sense of power.” (~15:12)

In other words, the original salsa sense of community spirit never died; it still survives within the Latin community.

Nueva Canción

In 1970, Salvador Allende became the first socialist to be democratically elected as the leader of a Latin nation. He greeted a cheering crowd under a banner that read “You can’t have a revolution without songs.”

Angered by Allende’s election victory, the U.S. supported a coup d’état by General Augusto Pinochet on September 11, 1973 - Chile’s 9/11. Pinochet presided over a reign of terror in which thousands of citizens were tortured and murdered.

Among the victims was Victor Jara, Chile’s most celebrated folk singer. Accounts of his prolonged detention, torture and brutal murder are a vivid reminder of the stark reality of U.S.-Latin American relations.

Jara was one of the songwriters who helped create nueva canción (“new song”) in the 1960s. His heroism during his ordeal helped popularize the genre, just as Che Guevara’s murder transformed him into one of the world’s most celebrated martyrs.

Other nueva canción fans were murdered by right-wing governments as the genre spread across Latin America and Spain.

Nueva canción popularity has diminished as it faces competition from other genres and more Latin countries gain democratic governments. However, the genre is very much alive.

According to Acción Latina,

Commercialization

Commercialization is discussed in more detail in Salsa Trends. But is it just a sociological trend, or could it have a more political context?

Consider this statement: “One wonders to what extent the commercialization of salsa has muted the subversive ideology of Puerto Rican popular music.” (Sorry, I havcn’t found the exact source, though I believe it appeared in Latin American Music Review, possibly written by J. Duany.)

In an interview with El Cabao, Dr. Francis Aparicio, who teaches Latin American studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, says, “The industry actually created this whole salsa romantica and salsa erotica trend precisely to neutralize the more radical oppositional politics of salsa in the 70s.” (~25:07)

She further states that this was done in order to reach a bigger audience. However, a conspiracy theorist might ask if there’s more to the story; should we replace the word commercialization with corporatization? Music was a powerful, almost intoxicating catalyst during the social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s, something the political establishment took note of.

The FBI monitored a number of music celebrities, including John Lennon, who the Nixon administration tried to deport because of his anti-war activism. Lennon was murdered in 1980.

Dr. Aparaicio also notes that salsa romantica led to the “whitening of salsa,” as Afro-Latino performers were replaced by a more caucasian generation, as represented by Marc Anthony. The whitening of the political scene began even earlier with the assassinations of Malcolm X (1965) and Dr. Martin Luther King (1968).

I have no hard evidence that salsa music has been manipulated by higher powers for political purposes; I’m just asking about the possibility. The conspiracy theory which holds that students are being deliberately “dumbed down” in America’s public schools has become an almost mainstream idea, and virtually all U.S. citizens are bombarded with propaganda virtually 24/7. Why should Latin music be immune from propaganda and manipulation?

The New World Order

The world around us in a constant state of change, similar to music and dance. However, we’re living in an era of BIG change, with a growing number of people predicting not just an economic collapse but a collapse of the American empire.

Collapse or not, the old order is clearly changing, with new powers emerging, including Latin America’s biggest and most powerful nation, Brazil. However, the de facto capital of Latin America’s revolution may be Caracas, Venezuela.

To put it all in perspective, let’s take a political snapshot of each continent. The United States is wallowing in corruption, with a national debt that exceeded its economy by early 2012. The U.S. exerts enormous control over Canada, Mexico and Central America, which can almost be seen as American colonies.

Europe is also in America’s pocket, particularly the NATO nations. Not surprisingly, Europe has been plunged into an economic crisis along with the U.S. Though European protesters have fought back heroically, they haven’t succeeded in reforming any governments.

With the fall of Libya, Africa is now at the mercy of Western powers, which seem bent on recolonization. The corporate conquest of Africa may be led by Bill Gates and Monsanto, who hope to make mountains of money from genetically modified food, to Hell with the consequences. In addition, Africa could be the focus of a new cold war between the U.S. and China.

The Middle East may be an omen of what Africa will soon become - a killing field for the world’s biggest terrorist organization, Team USA.

Asia’s all over the map, a mixture of wealthy, powerful nations and very poor nations, ranging from China (the next superpower) to Japan (a U.S. puppet) to the rogue states of North Korea and Burma. Even the more powerful nations don’t have much of a humanitarian message to sell.

Australia is another U.S. puppet.

That leaves South America, and the differences are striking. Here, there is remarkable unity between most nations, most of them led by leftist presidents who have embraced socialism to some extent. They’ve essentially declared their independence from Yankee Imperialism and are working harder to help the impoverished masses as their economies grow. That’s right - South American economies are defying the U.S.-led global depression.

So what’s the point? Well, it begs a question - how will U.S. citizens, especially Latinos, react to Latin America’s transformation, especially if the revolution spreads north towards the U.S.?

My perception is that the vast majority of U.S. citizens have been brainwashed into believing that Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara are all brutal dictators, left-wing lunatics, terrorists, etc. But anyone with any knowledge of Latin American history ought to see that the picture isn’t that black-and-white.

People who think salsa is dying need to look at the world around them. Salsa clearly needs a shot in the arm, and the vaccine is revolution!

But can the revolution that gave birth to salsa be recreated? Only time will tell. Perhaps some songwriter will pen an inspirational tribute to Hugo Chavez, or maybe Rubén Blades will shock the world by writing a song that portrays Obama as a terrorist. If that happened, how would U.S. Latinos react?

Below are some suggested role models - along with a few clowns that should be ignored.

Political Picks

Rubén Blades is my favorite salsa singer. One of the first superstars, he’s also very political. In fact, he’s an example of art imitating life, as he’s actually held political office himself. Check out his album Siembra, the best-selling salsa album of all time.

Blades’ long-time partner, Willie Colon, was also a part of Siembra. Like Blades, Colon has a long history of political involvement. (See Willie Colon Bio)

However, some of the people Colon calls friends make me a little nervous. For example, he’s associated with New York City’s billionaire right-wing Mayor Bloomberg and endorsed Hillary Clinton when she ran for President. Yes, I’m talking about America’s First Whore, the political derelict who offered this reaction to news of the murder of Libya’s Gaddafi after that nation was pounded into the ground by NATO.

Of course, all that happened after Hillary’s ill-fated presidential bid. But I see nothing on Colon’s website that inspires me; no condemnation of the phony war on terrorism, no support for Hugo Chavez. Then again, Blades also appears ominously quiet, though he has stated his support for Chavez.

Latin music fans need to learn that remaining loyal to la musica’s roots doesn’t mean remaining loyal to Democrats, which have evolved away from their roots, just like salsa. Open your eyes and figure out who’s really fighting for the people.

I don’t think Victor Jara would associate with Hillary Clinton or any other Democrats if he was alive today.

There are many more Latin songwriters and performers who have injected politics into their art, from Eddie Palmieri to Chico Buarque de Hollanda, who challenged the military regime that ruled Brazil during most of the 1960s and 70s with his songs.

I’ve discovered a few Latin music and dance stars with political interests outside music, some with degrees in political science. I discovered one superstar whose first passion, foreign affairs, even trumps salsa.

But most celebrities are pretty tight-lipped about their beliefs and affiliations, which isn’t surprising. The corporate media can crucify anyone who gets out of line.

Some Latin stars are right-wing; a few of them are outspoken in their condemnation of Fidel Castro and/or Hugo Chavez.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of a big, complex and exciting topic. But I’ll continue working on this article as I find time.

In the meantime, here are three songs you should check out. “Guantanamera” has been described as Cuba’s most noted patriotic song. (I love the Sandpipers’ version.) Another favorite is “Hasta Siempre Comandante” (especially Los Trinitarios’ version, though the version that accompanies this video is nice, too). And don’t miss this video tribute to the late Comandante Ramona. (The song is “Razon de Vivir,” by the late Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa, one of the premier exponents of nueva canción.)