Blog Post 2: Influence of Music During a Time of Political and Social Unrest

After listening to a compilation of the songs that comes up when you look up Nueva Canción on Youtube, I can understand how this type of music helped to spark a movement in Chile during this time of unrest when the Chilean government was ruled by the wealthy elite and a military dictatorship during the 1960s and 1970s. The music is very moving and makes you want to dance. The lyrics are also very interesting and talk about a united people, the social unrest, and unfair treatment of the poor. The music and art shaped the culture during this period of unjust treatment of the peasants by the wealthy landowners and the rise of a democracy. It was used to provide hope for the people of Chile who were not being treated well. Although many artists had important roles in the New Song Movement, Violeta Parra was an important figure in this movement because she shifted the music from folklore to writing music that talked about the lives of the common people. Many other artists looked up to her because she really defined that shift with her lyrics. The type of music written during this period used a variety of instruments to create the unique sound. The Chilean New Song is cultural memory because it is a collective memory that is celebrated and used in traditions by the Chilean people. The New Song is given to the art and songs for the time period and represents an important part of the Chilean culture. According to Gramsci, music provided the people with power and united them. They had shifted the cultural values. The history of the Chilean New Song is recognized and learned about in institutions of learning which also identifies it as a cultural memory. The New Song shaped the Chilean culture and provided the people with hope.

In the article “Rapping for a Revolution,” the Dr. Eunice Rojas writes about two different music groups who took very different sides during the United States 2016 election. The ideas of Gramsci, the italian analyst seen in the other article, are used to talk about the significance of a war position to fight a “cultural and ideological battle” (Rojas 91). Gramsci does not seem particularly fond of elections. He supports the overthrow of capitalism by the oppressed classes. Music becomes an effective tool and arsenal because it brings a group of people together, uses collective memory, and affects emotions. Rebel Diaz, a singing group, has used rapping about social problems to identify themselves. They are striving to promote cultural memory by setting up cultural institutions and encouraging the youth to join. They refused to support any candidate for the election. Rebel Diaz’s remix of “Which Side are You On” has multiple layers of cultural memory because the song was originally created to protest miners’ rights during the 1930s. The group used the lyrics to created a rap to use the song to unite latinx and black communities during the elections. Unlike Rebel Diaz, the Puerto Rican  artist Residente decided to support Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election. He used his platform to promote Bernie because of his support of the working class. His support for the candidate has to do with memory because Bernie Sanders recognized U.S. involvement in Latin American countries that went poorly for the these countries. The Latinx community in the United States had memories of this involvement because their family members and even themselves had immigrated from these countries. For example, the U.S. set up the military dictatorship in Chile which really hurt the lower and middle class people. Because Bernie recognized this injustice, Residente offered his support.

Pictures:
https://sites.google.com/site/dparty/publications-1/beyondprotest
https://templepress.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/the-political-power-of-music-in-chile/