Hello everyone! As I said in my last blog, I will be talking about "La Nueva Canción" from Latin America. La Nueva Canción translates to "The New Song" in English, and it represents a new wave of activism that emerged in the mid-20th century.
La Nueva Canción started in the 1950s as a response to political dictatorship. Individuals living in rural areas were highly oppressed, which led them to move to more urban cities. These individuals were mainly of native descent, so with them came their music. Their traditional folk music started fusing with urban music styles- with the help of middle-class individuals and students- to create new musical styles that went beyond class distinctions. These new music styles became a source of unity among all classes, and they drove South America's citizens to fight against political oppression.
Now let's talk about the musicality of La Nueva Canción. Since the music genre is rooted in native folk music, many of the instruments used are folk instruments. These instruments include the quena (Andean flute), zampoñas (pan-pipes), and the ten-stringed charango. The use of folk instruments highlighted the uniqueness of the genre and also the pride that the musicians had for their native cultural roots.
Next, let's talk about the poetic lyrics of the songs. The lyrics of Nueva Canción's songs are very motivational and inclusive. Let's take a look at some verses from the song "Canción Del Poder Popular" by Inti-Illimani.
Si nuestra tierra nos pide (If our land asks us)
Tenemos que ser nosotros (We must be the ones)
Los que levantemos Chile (The ones who raise Chile)
Así es que a poner el hombro (So let's put our shoulders to the wheel)
Todos vénganse a juntar (Everybody come together)
Tenemos la puerta abierta (We have an open door)
Y la Unidad Popular (And Popular Unity)
Es para todo el que quiera (Is for everyone who wants it)
Echaremos fuera al yanqui (We'll throw out the Yankee)
Y su lenguaje siniestro (And their sinister language)
Con la Unidad Popular (With Popular Unity)
Ahora somos gobierno (Now we are the government)
Ya nadie puede quitarnos (No one can take away from us)
El derecho de ser libres (The right to be free)
Y como seres humanos (And as human beings)
Podremos vivir en Chile (We will be able to live in Chile)
As you can see by these lyrics, La Nueva Canción’s songs were very empowering, emphasizing the unity of all citizens and the need to protest against unjust governments. Totalitarian military governments were becoming more and more prevalent in South America during the ’60s, and with the changing governments came oppression and violence. Cancióneros, singers of La Nueva Canción, used their songs to promote resistance and retaliation against the political oppression among the citizens of the countries involved.
In 1970, the victory of the Popular Unity government led by Salvador Allende in Chile was a beacon of hope for all of South America. This was the first democratically elected socialist government after years of political dictatorship and oppression. After his victory, he had a banner held behind him that read, “No Hay Revolución Sin Canciones” (You can’t have a revolution without songs). This display empowered the entire movement and showed them that their hard work and retaliation immensely impacted the whole region.
Although the region rejoiced with hope for a better future, the 1973 coup disposed of the entire Allende government and dictator Augusto Pinochet took over. The dictatorship recognized the immense impact music had on the hope and retaliation of the citizens, so they started to outlaw political content in songs and the use of folk instruments. Many Cancióneros were killed or even jailed during this period. However, the movement only continued to grow with the oppression.
Many new musicians became involved in the resistance to push for a better future. In the
present day, the Nueva Canción movement is still very much prevalent in South America, and it has even spread to the west coast regions and border regions of the United States. La Nueva Cancion brought unity, activism, and hope to the citizens of South America and has and will continue to leave a long lasting impact on all the entire region.
Overall, learning about the movement was extremely inspiring for me and I hope it was for you as well. I’ll see you next time!
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