When you hear this it will be September 28th and I’m thinking about Víctor Jara. He would have been 92 today. 

You may think I make more drama over this singer than is warranted, but for me and many many others around the world Víctor Jara is the symbol and embodiment of so much more. He’s much more than a singer and much more than a symbol of human rights violations. He is more than the way he died.  Víctor Jara is the embodiment of what it means to be a revolutionary singer, a man of peace whose power of communication was greater than any bullet, which is why 51 years after his murder we remember his voice, he hear his voice above the bullets and it continues to guide us and inspire us. 

My purpose today is to celebrate Víctor Jara, to give thanks that he lived, and uplift his work once again. As we move forward, I can only hope that we can all do justice to Víctor’s memory not only by remembering him and all of the victims of the dictatorship, but also by using our voices to speak up for peace, justice and freedom, against imperialism, colonialism and brutality wherever we see it, because if Víctor was alive today, that’s exactly what he would be doing, I have absolutely no doubt. 

Songs:

Jai Jai 

El Lazo 

La Fonda

Deja la vida volar 

Desprendimiento del angelito

El Derecho de Vivir en Paz con el poncho embravecido 

A cochabamba me voy 

La Bala

El Arado

Cuando Voy al Trabajo 

Vientos del Pueblo

Manifiesto

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