“Freedom, democracy, justice and truth!”, “Who gives up, who gets tired”, “Evo Morales, you are a cheater”, “Justice for a living”. They are refrains that are heard regularly in the streets and roundabouts of the country when a sector claims something, they are also verses of songs that are now hits on social media and are usually sung in new protests.
“It may sound like a cliché, but it’s the truth: inspiration comes when you least expect it. But for that you have to help her, you have to know the subject you are going to sing and many times the knowledge comes when you share with people on the street,” explained the singer-songwriter from Potosi Luis Rico, one of the main figures of the social song.
From national and indigenous folk rhythms such as huayño, morenada or chovena cruceña to rock – heavy, pop or metal – and rap. Protest has no limited genre.
It doesn’t matter which side of the political spectrum the protesters are on. Whether in favor of the government, underlining its contributions or questioning “the law” or against it, with direct allusions to the figure of former president Evo Morales, music has become an essential part of the claim.
This also affects compositions that weren’t conceived with a particular political overtone. Although in this case it’s because the letter can be applied to any side of the confrontation, whether it’s calling for peace during Black October 2003 or claiming election fraud in 2019.
This is what happened, for example, with Despertar de Bonanza, a theme that was used in marches by the ruling party and the opposition during its nearly 20 years of existence.
“We are not part of any political group. We are ordinary citizens and we happen to be musicians too and we have seen the country in a very difficult time and we have tried to do our part to calm a very complicated situation. But our wishes are not always fulfilled,” commented the group’s composer Edgar Rojas.
As Rojas recalls, the seed of the matter was planted when they went overland to La Paz at the beginning of the so-called gas war. When the vehicle arrived in El Alto, they were greeted by people confronting security forces, roadside coffins weeping, and a white-clad population calling for peace and respect for the victims.
Over time, the theme has taken over from other sectors, becoming in 2019 one of the anthems of the Pitita movement. .
Is that the events that shook the country are always remembered with notes. The Ayra group from Bolivia composed La Guerra de La Paz, in memory of the conflict between the military and the police that bloodied the seat of government in February 2003.
The conflicts of October and November 2019 are also an important source of inspiration. Marraketa Blindada demonstrated this with Electoral Fraud, a piece in which Morales’ actions in that year’s elections are questioned.
From neutrality to party
Rico is another of the composers who refuses to be identified with a party line. “I’ve never signed up for any parties,” he says. “There were several acronyms proposing me to join them, but it seems a bit dishonest to me. I follow the principles that Liber Forti has instilled in us: that of living free”.
This made him, for example, refuse to sing the theme La Unión hace la fuerza under more than one coercion. “That piece is from the Chilean Communist Party and since I wasn’t part of that movement, it never seemed right to use it.” However, the piece was featured in rallies and actions during the time of military dictatorships.
The official party takes him into the background in many of his activities. This began during the Morales government and continues to this day. In the same way, the social movements linked to the MAS also sing it.
Many of the issues of national protest are closely related to the mining sector. “We must not forget that for decades, illegal workers have been the backbone of union activism and the struggle for democracy,” Rico recalled.
The Sanluiseño singer-songwriter has several pieces related to them, one of these Armas de casa, stands out because it recovers the fatigue of women.
The song Justicia para vivir by Chila Jatun recovers, in the video clip on YouTube, several images of miners, while the singer Palomita voladora dedicated a song to Eustaquio Picachuri, the miner who blew himself up in the Legislative Palace in 2004.
Others are more direct in showing their political bent. This is the case of the musician and producer Vladimir Suárez. We owe him the music of one of the best-known songs during the conflicts of 2019: “Who gets tired? Nobody gets tired.”
In 2021 the Cambalanes Cambas Catalanes group, together with the singer Fabio Zambrana, spread the song La Chovena de las Pititas on social networks, in which said refrain plays a leading role.
The MAS has in its repertoire compositions by international talents. This is the case of Mama Coca, the song that can be heard at the end of Seremos million, an Argentine film about the life of Evo Morales.
The lyrics come from a poem by the former president, while León Gieco was responsible for composing the music, which uses various rhythms, while Evo himself raps in the background.
It may sound like a cliché, but it’s the truth: inspiration comes when you least expect it. But for that you have to help her, you have to know the subject you are going to sing about and many times the knowledge comes when you share with people on the street.
In my case, I wrote music about the history I lived. I can say that the history of the country, which I witnessed, I turned into songs. But I never joined any party
Being a witness allowed me to compose. As I told a female miner when I premiered Armas de casa, the idea came to me watching miners’ wives, those whose husbands stayed at home, defy industry conventions by traveling to La Paz to help in the fight . . When I explained, she thanked me and gave me her name: Domitilla Chungara.
Despertar is a song born as a result of Black October. We were on our way to La Paz to fulfill an engagement. Upon arrival we had to go through dynamite and bullets, witnessing the trails on the highway.
Which forced me to compose a piece that serves to claim the victims. or belong to any political group. We are ordinary citizens and we happen to be musicians too and we have seen the country in a very difficult time and we have tried to do our part to calm a very complicated situation.
And while the song isn’t from any party, it’s from the people. This made the Pithite movement 16 years later to start using it in its activities. We didn’t mean it that way, but it was people who identified with Despertar and made it their own.
