Before we went to Colombia I think I had a preconceived idea about what to expect there. I have lived in a Latin American country before, Peru, and I thought that I had seen it all before; the poverty, the corruption, the history that shaped the country into what it is now etc. I was wrong, Colombia is very different to many of the countries that have visited and spent time in, and for one particular reason: the violent past that effects the present of so many countries, is still very much a problem in Colombia today.
Of course history plays a massive part in all this, and many of today's problems are a result of the legacy left since Colonial times and the great inequality that it caused. Colombia is rich in both natural resources and people and this has caused much suffering to many. But there is also another legacy that has been left by this violent and miserable past that is just as powerful: music.
It is unbelievable how rich Colombia is in musical output, from the the black African beats of the Chocó coast to the traditional Vallenatos and the modern hip-hop happening in the cities, music is everywhere. It is such an important part of life for so many people in Colombia, providing hope and entertainment for the whole country, as well as an outlet for poeple's feelings and thoughts. Through music so many people can find something to divert them away from the reality of life and the inherent problems that are abundent in this country.
What we want to do is to help the so many talented musicians to try and achieve their some of their potential. We can't promise success, but we can offer services and possibility. We can help provide studios that can record the so many different types of music that is part of Colombia's rich legacy. Along side this we can provide education in technology that is otherwise unavailable to the vast majority of the country.
If anyone reading this wants to help and can really offer something to help us to help Colombian musicians please get in touch. Visit www.fairtunes.org for details. It has been a major pleasure for me to have the chance to visit Colombia and get to know the amazing people there who are fighting for human rights and equality every day. I hope you can help us to help others.
Friday 8 May 2009
Thursday 7 May 2009
In The Studio, At Last.
I had intended to write this before leaving Bogota, but due to a fairly hefty storm on Wednesday most lines of communication down that day... so here goes.
Monday was spent in several meetings dotted around the city, including the Ministry of Culture. Tuesday was the big day, the day we finally were going to get people into the studio and christen it. The morning passed swimmingly, Nick went to the Semillas building to give the studio a lick of paint whilst I spent the morning working on the written side of the project with our host and (one of) partner in Colombia, Angela. We were due in the studio at 2pm with all of the electronic equipment, we couldn't go earlier due to morning classes in the building.
At around midday our carefully laid plans started to go slightly amiss. First, due to a communication breakdown, we discovered that the guys who were going to come and play hadn't been confirmed. A bit of a problem seeing as it was our last possible day to do anything. Phone calls started flying out left right and centre in an attempt to lock down some musicians. We managed to get Diego from Vivo Arte to commit and come down to play some bass so we would at least be able to do something and have some footage of it in use.
We then called a cab, asking for one with a big boot to fit the kit in. When it turned up I knew that we weren't going to get the run of the green, today of all days. Whilst the taxi arrived on time and with a big boot, said boot was full of a massive gas fuel canister. Brilliant. So off we set with almost all the equipment on our laps. Until the taxi stalled and fluid started leaking from the engine.
A few concerned minutes later and the driver managed to get us going again, not without a lot of traffic soundings its point of view on the way past. The rest of the journey turned into a bit of a joke, for us, and we eventually arrived at our destination. With the gear safely in the studio we went out for a quick bite to eat and returned to set everything up. And here's where events began to turn farcical.
When we got back to open the door, one of the young girls who teaches at the school managed to snap the key in the door. A couple of minutes later we began to be inundated with local hip-hop artists who had responded to the calls we had made earlier. Eventually a locksmith was found and the agonising hour long wait began whilst he set about drilling the lock, breaking the drill, fetching another and eventually we were in.
Now we were up and running. It was amazing, for a good few hours we had the place full and recorded first Diego and a singer, followed by two groups of young rappers. These guys were really good. They are all young guys from Ciudad Bolivar and they truly had a lot of talent. The lyrics were slick and had a gritty message that told a lot about the reality for kids growing up in a barrio like theirs. Nowhere can be found the bling bling that we here from other parts of the world. These guys are respectul and really want to get an important message across.
As is to emphasise what we were listening to in the studio, outside the whole barrio was out to bury a local restaurant owner who had been murdered by some thieves at 8pm on Sunday. The procession was vast as the vehicles and people on foot passed noisily past the Semillas building and toward the semitary nearby. Life can be cheap in areas like this, although not to the people who live there.
On the whole, for us, it turned out to be an amazing day. We achieved what we set out to do, and we even managed to record a few acts as well. Now the studio is being left in the capable hands of the 'Por Nuestros Medios' communication school. Each Saturday they are going to spend the morning teaching people how to use it and in the afternoons record people in it. We cannot be more pleased, with the very little that we set out with, our goals have been achieved thanks to the effort and hard work of the amazing people we have met.
Monday was spent in several meetings dotted around the city, including the Ministry of Culture. Tuesday was the big day, the day we finally were going to get people into the studio and christen it. The morning passed swimmingly, Nick went to the Semillas building to give the studio a lick of paint whilst I spent the morning working on the written side of the project with our host and (one of) partner in Colombia, Angela. We were due in the studio at 2pm with all of the electronic equipment, we couldn't go earlier due to morning classes in the building.
At around midday our carefully laid plans started to go slightly amiss. First, due to a communication breakdown, we discovered that the guys who were going to come and play hadn't been confirmed. A bit of a problem seeing as it was our last possible day to do anything. Phone calls started flying out left right and centre in an attempt to lock down some musicians. We managed to get Diego from Vivo Arte to commit and come down to play some bass so we would at least be able to do something and have some footage of it in use.
We then called a cab, asking for one with a big boot to fit the kit in. When it turned up I knew that we weren't going to get the run of the green, today of all days. Whilst the taxi arrived on time and with a big boot, said boot was full of a massive gas fuel canister. Brilliant. So off we set with almost all the equipment on our laps. Until the taxi stalled and fluid started leaking from the engine.
A few concerned minutes later and the driver managed to get us going again, not without a lot of traffic soundings its point of view on the way past. The rest of the journey turned into a bit of a joke, for us, and we eventually arrived at our destination. With the gear safely in the studio we went out for a quick bite to eat and returned to set everything up. And here's where events began to turn farcical.
When we got back to open the door, one of the young girls who teaches at the school managed to snap the key in the door. A couple of minutes later we began to be inundated with local hip-hop artists who had responded to the calls we had made earlier. Eventually a locksmith was found and the agonising hour long wait began whilst he set about drilling the lock, breaking the drill, fetching another and eventually we were in.
Now we were up and running. It was amazing, for a good few hours we had the place full and recorded first Diego and a singer, followed by two groups of young rappers. These guys were really good. They are all young guys from Ciudad Bolivar and they truly had a lot of talent. The lyrics were slick and had a gritty message that told a lot about the reality for kids growing up in a barrio like theirs. Nowhere can be found the bling bling that we here from other parts of the world. These guys are respectul and really want to get an important message across.
As is to emphasise what we were listening to in the studio, outside the whole barrio was out to bury a local restaurant owner who had been murdered by some thieves at 8pm on Sunday. The procession was vast as the vehicles and people on foot passed noisily past the Semillas building and toward the semitary nearby. Life can be cheap in areas like this, although not to the people who live there.
On the whole, for us, it turned out to be an amazing day. We achieved what we set out to do, and we even managed to record a few acts as well. Now the studio is being left in the capable hands of the 'Por Nuestros Medios' communication school. Each Saturday they are going to spend the morning teaching people how to use it and in the afternoons record people in it. We cannot be more pleased, with the very little that we set out with, our goals have been achieved thanks to the effort and hard work of the amazing people we have met.
Sunday 3 May 2009
Tejo: a drinking mans game
The excitement of the May Day occurances has well and truly dissipated from the streets of Bogotá. Up in the Candelaria district, where we watched riot police and youths exchange gifts so courteously from great distances the other day, the park is now its usual throng of flea market stalls and Sunday strollers. In fact we even saw some police happily conversing with some hippies about their enchanted bangles. Quite a reverse from the action the other day.
So, at least on the surface, peace reigns on the sunny streets of Bogotá once more where we have been running around trying to get in as many meetings and finish off what we set out to accomplish over here. Yesterday, whilst Nick was putting a few finishing touches on the studio we are making (it´s only lacking a lick of paint now), I was visiting Patricia and her youth radio workshop in Suba. I already explained about `Suba al Aire´s´ struggle to obtain a license to transmit radio legally so I won´t repeat myself. I was invited by Patricia to go Suba´s casa de cultura (cultural house or centre) to see what goes on there and to visit her youth community radio workshop.
The program they are running there is fantastic and is open to all local kids for free. I saw a class of kids that was being led by a former pupil of Patricia´s and they were really getting a lot out of the it. The great thing about the set up is that now past students are staying on to take up the mantel and pass on their knowledge to the younger kids. The project is really providing the kids with an alternative as the young teacher informed me. Without this he would have no choice but go into low paid construction work, now he comes into contact with technology and new forms of self expression. The highlight of the trip for me was probably when I had to sit down in front of the class whilst they fired questions at me for what was probably about 10 minutes. For them it was contact with a world that they know very little about. For me it was humbling to be on the recieving end of questions. My companion Angela was also interrogated, although to a lesser extent, and she is planning to link up an exchange withSuba al Aire and the kids that she works with so that they can work together. Links such as these are really important, as Patricia explained to me, as they demonstrate to the kids that they are not alone in what they are doing.
The cultural centre as a whole is great, providing classes in art, literature, radio, vidoe and music for around 200 kids and youths who use the facilities. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, they currently have only one computer for the whs the radio class came to an end, the computer was promptly unplugged and whisked away to another deserving destination. Suba´s cultural centre has such a great link with local musicians and music projects that this is definately a location that we aim to work in in the future.
Today we went back to visit the L-Mental workshops to do some filming. We also took with us a pc full of music software and a Yamaha sampler to kit out there studio with. When we visited last week they were borrowing a pc and didn´t have enough equipment to do much work with. When we gave him the equipment an emotional Natas told us that it was like Christmas. He can now get a message out to all the groups he knows and they can get back into his studio and do some recording. It really feels like Fairtunes can make a differnece, albeit small, already.
Education and the passing on of information and experience is crucial to what we are trying to achieve. This much has been demonstrated to us by all the groups that we have visited. As such we were given a little lesson last night after being up in the `Nuevas Semillas´ (New Seeds) foundation in Juan Pablo II, Ciudad Bolivar. We are getting quite used to spending time up there and last night we were taught how to play tejo by the teachers that work there.
Tejo is a game that involves drinking lots of beer and throwing heavy metal discs down a hall onto a soft clay target at the end. Despite the obvious dangers we had a great time, it was a real experience and I felt like we made some great bonds with the people there. Some of the other locals weren´t too sure though, our tejo playing is definately not up to scratch yet and their amused glances certainly let us know that. Despite our lack of natural ability for the national working class game we are continuing to make some great links with people. Time is running out and we´ll soon be back and trying to get the ball really rolling.
So, at least on the surface, peace reigns on the sunny streets of Bogotá once more where we have been running around trying to get in as many meetings and finish off what we set out to accomplish over here. Yesterday, whilst Nick was putting a few finishing touches on the studio we are making (it´s only lacking a lick of paint now), I was visiting Patricia and her youth radio workshop in Suba. I already explained about `Suba al Aire´s´ struggle to obtain a license to transmit radio legally so I won´t repeat myself. I was invited by Patricia to go Suba´s casa de cultura (cultural house or centre) to see what goes on there and to visit her youth community radio workshop.
The program they are running there is fantastic and is open to all local kids for free. I saw a class of kids that was being led by a former pupil of Patricia´s and they were really getting a lot out of the it. The great thing about the set up is that now past students are staying on to take up the mantel and pass on their knowledge to the younger kids. The project is really providing the kids with an alternative as the young teacher informed me. Without this he would have no choice but go into low paid construction work, now he comes into contact with technology and new forms of self expression. The highlight of the trip for me was probably when I had to sit down in front of the class whilst they fired questions at me for what was probably about 10 minutes. For them it was contact with a world that they know very little about. For me it was humbling to be on the recieving end of questions. My companion Angela was also interrogated, although to a lesser extent, and she is planning to link up an exchange withSuba al Aire and the kids that she works with so that they can work together. Links such as these are really important, as Patricia explained to me, as they demonstrate to the kids that they are not alone in what they are doing.
The cultural centre as a whole is great, providing classes in art, literature, radio, vidoe and music for around 200 kids and youths who use the facilities. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, they currently have only one computer for the whs the radio class came to an end, the computer was promptly unplugged and whisked away to another deserving destination. Suba´s cultural centre has such a great link with local musicians and music projects that this is definately a location that we aim to work in in the future.
Today we went back to visit the L-Mental workshops to do some filming. We also took with us a pc full of music software and a Yamaha sampler to kit out there studio with. When we visited last week they were borrowing a pc and didn´t have enough equipment to do much work with. When we gave him the equipment an emotional Natas told us that it was like Christmas. He can now get a message out to all the groups he knows and they can get back into his studio and do some recording. It really feels like Fairtunes can make a differnece, albeit small, already.
Education and the passing on of information and experience is crucial to what we are trying to achieve. This much has been demonstrated to us by all the groups that we have visited. As such we were given a little lesson last night after being up in the `Nuevas Semillas´ (New Seeds) foundation in Juan Pablo II, Ciudad Bolivar. We are getting quite used to spending time up there and last night we were taught how to play tejo by the teachers that work there.
Tejo is a game that involves drinking lots of beer and throwing heavy metal discs down a hall onto a soft clay target at the end. Despite the obvious dangers we had a great time, it was a real experience and I felt like we made some great bonds with the people there. Some of the other locals weren´t too sure though, our tejo playing is definately not up to scratch yet and their amused glances certainly let us know that. Despite our lack of natural ability for the national working class game we are continuing to make some great links with people. Time is running out and we´ll soon be back and trying to get the ball really rolling.
Friday 1 May 2009
Pinch, Punch, first of the month and no return
May Day marches are traditional all over the world and Bogota is no different. Here, however, the police seem to act with a certain amount of impunity that is rarly seen elsewhere (unless we count the recent G20 debarcle in London). Three years ago the police came out in such force that they killed a young boy who was peacefully taking part in the march.
Swine flu is on the agenda everywhere and, despite no confrimed cases here yet, the face masks are out. The government even tried to stop the procession due to risk of the infection spreading. Hmmm, nice try.
The march is undertaken by union members and other civil rights groups who take the time out to demonstrate their general disgust for the way things are run here. Today was no different. We knew several groups that were taking part: 'Por Nuestros Medios' were there with a gazeebo and some of the kids they are teaching who were interviewing passers by and some of the marchers. Some other guys that we know pitched in and hired a truck and a sound system to parade in. They were championing several good causes: the first was the death of a young boy, Nicolas Neira aged 15, three years ago - his father Yuri complained to the police and then began to investigate seriously the death of his son. He found out that his son died due to multiple blows to the head and he started to kick up a fuss. The long and short of it is that Yuri has been chased from the country by both threats made to his life and actual attempts on it- The second cause was what is here called 'Falsos positivos' (false positives). This is where the army pick up youths and take them to other cities, dress them in revolutionary gear and kill them before claiming a moral victory for the armed forces. This caused quite a following behind the truck and it is in itself quite a dangerous ploy to so blatantly challenge the authorities here.
The general feeling I took from the march was positive. Our friend Richie, who helped organise the truck, never looked comfortable and said that he was worried about what could happen. Relax I said, it's all going smoothly. As Nick and I wandered up and down the parade I was almost constantly filming. It was amazing to see such an array of colours and hear such great music. Everyone was highly negative about the current administration and the way things are run out here but it was peaceful all the same.
Until our truck came to a certain point a little ahead of us. I was still filming when someone smashed the window of a bank and then the mod passed by police with riot shields and it all kicked off. A water cannon sent most of the crowd running back towards us and we turned and took flight too. Our truck promptly left the march - it turned off the street and sped away - leaving an army of punks running left right and centre.
Nick and I headed up into the old town in search of our friends and stopped on a small side street to make a call. Suddenly the street was filled with police motorbikes, dozens of them, with riders on the front and what are known as robocops riding pillion. You can probably imagine what they look like, heavily adorned in black armour and helmets and with weapons to boot; really they are called ESMAD, a form of extreme riot police. I was filming it all and it was intimidating to say the least as they passed on down the street, stopped, turned around and then passed back by us. Following the commotion was easy as the loud bangs of tear gas shells being fired came from the streets just around the corner from us. Several street battles ensued but we only stayed around to film the goings on: the robocops would charge the youths who would run away before the motorbikes swooped down to pick up the robocops and take them to the next group.
As teargas began to sating our nostrils it was a welcome sight to see a group of peaceful clowns succesfully see off the confused robocops with whistles and dancing. After that we headed toward the truck where the party had begun under the watchful eye of Swedish international observers.
Richie was right, a couple of days before he had said that there had been real tention in the capital over the last few months and that he thought it might boil over. It did, and it was interesting to be witness to it, thankfully we look so much like gringos that the robocops payed us no attention. Their targets are the people who protest on the streets once a year in a vain attempt to better conditions in this country. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt for their cause this year.
Swine flu is on the agenda everywhere and, despite no confrimed cases here yet, the face masks are out. The government even tried to stop the procession due to risk of the infection spreading. Hmmm, nice try.
The march is undertaken by union members and other civil rights groups who take the time out to demonstrate their general disgust for the way things are run here. Today was no different. We knew several groups that were taking part: 'Por Nuestros Medios' were there with a gazeebo and some of the kids they are teaching who were interviewing passers by and some of the marchers. Some other guys that we know pitched in and hired a truck and a sound system to parade in. They were championing several good causes: the first was the death of a young boy, Nicolas Neira aged 15, three years ago - his father Yuri complained to the police and then began to investigate seriously the death of his son. He found out that his son died due to multiple blows to the head and he started to kick up a fuss. The long and short of it is that Yuri has been chased from the country by both threats made to his life and actual attempts on it- The second cause was what is here called 'Falsos positivos' (false positives). This is where the army pick up youths and take them to other cities, dress them in revolutionary gear and kill them before claiming a moral victory for the armed forces. This caused quite a following behind the truck and it is in itself quite a dangerous ploy to so blatantly challenge the authorities here.
The general feeling I took from the march was positive. Our friend Richie, who helped organise the truck, never looked comfortable and said that he was worried about what could happen. Relax I said, it's all going smoothly. As Nick and I wandered up and down the parade I was almost constantly filming. It was amazing to see such an array of colours and hear such great music. Everyone was highly negative about the current administration and the way things are run out here but it was peaceful all the same.
Until our truck came to a certain point a little ahead of us. I was still filming when someone smashed the window of a bank and then the mod passed by police with riot shields and it all kicked off. A water cannon sent most of the crowd running back towards us and we turned and took flight too. Our truck promptly left the march - it turned off the street and sped away - leaving an army of punks running left right and centre.
Nick and I headed up into the old town in search of our friends and stopped on a small side street to make a call. Suddenly the street was filled with police motorbikes, dozens of them, with riders on the front and what are known as robocops riding pillion. You can probably imagine what they look like, heavily adorned in black armour and helmets and with weapons to boot; really they are called ESMAD, a form of extreme riot police. I was filming it all and it was intimidating to say the least as they passed on down the street, stopped, turned around and then passed back by us. Following the commotion was easy as the loud bangs of tear gas shells being fired came from the streets just around the corner from us. Several street battles ensued but we only stayed around to film the goings on: the robocops would charge the youths who would run away before the motorbikes swooped down to pick up the robocops and take them to the next group.
As teargas began to sating our nostrils it was a welcome sight to see a group of peaceful clowns succesfully see off the confused robocops with whistles and dancing. After that we headed toward the truck where the party had begun under the watchful eye of Swedish international observers.
Richie was right, a couple of days before he had said that there had been real tention in the capital over the last few months and that he thought it might boil over. It did, and it was interesting to be witness to it, thankfully we look so much like gringos that the robocops payed us no attention. Their targets are the people who protest on the streets once a year in a vain attempt to better conditions in this country. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt for their cause this year.
Catching Up
Well we have nearly finished building the studio. It just needs a bit more sound-proofing which Nick is going to do tomorrow whilst I am in Suba visiting some workshops of 'Suba al Aire'. Nick has also finished teaching the guys how to use the studio, which we are going to install early next week and hopefully record someone.
Apart from that we have been busy having more meetings. Yesterday we had a very positive one with the British council who seem to be interested in the project and offered us help with importing equipment; something that has been an issue since we landed.
Apart from that there is a little something about May Day, but I think that deserves its own blog so I'll end this one now.
Apart from that we have been busy having more meetings. Yesterday we had a very positive one with the British council who seem to be interested in the project and offered us help with importing equipment; something that has been an issue since we landed.
Apart from that there is a little something about May Day, but I think that deserves its own blog so I'll end this one now.
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