One of my favorite Mexican bands calls themselves Super Grupo Colombia. They’re one of those groups who have moments so good they cease being songs or even hits and pass into the DNA of things, transformed into a reference and departure point for cumbia lovers everywhere.
Today was Cinco de Mayo. I ate my breakfast, I had my NY day, and down in Mexico hundreds celebrated this holiday with the start of a 4-day peace march (#marchanacional) beginning in the city of Cuernavaca and moving towards Mexico City, where it will conclude this Sunday. Envio un abrazo solidario. As Geraldine Juarez writes, the march is “to demand the end to the ‘War on Drugs’ and the removal of all government officials responsible for more than 35,000 deaths and the increase of insecurity and corruption.”
Here’s an important video from poet Javier Sicilia, “who became the leading voice of the discontent towards the government’s method of tackling the drug trafficking problem after his son Juan Francisco was killed.” It’s important to me because I fell in love with Mexico, it captured me like no other country has. Cinco de Mayo fiestas & tequila shots can ease the weight of now, but it’s a weight I want to feel. Before we can begin to care about the impact of American drug consumption and U.S. drug policy on the tens of thousands of Mexicans dead, we have to feel… that Mexican problems are American problems. Not just intimate, but interchangeable. You make a border real by policing it, and there’s a disturbing corollary: living in the United States and ignoring the political situation in Mexico helps feed the violence of that border. Wanting to be ‘global’ or ‘cosmopolitan’ is missing the point — so slippery and abstract as to be useless. We should try to be good neighbors and take it from there.
I might not be thinking these thoughts if it weren’t for cumbia. That’s why I’m putting up this Super Grupo Colombia song. The lyrics aren’t topical – though their flow on the chorus never ceases to amaze – it’s simply a nice song from Mexico, and golden minutes help fuel long hours.
[audio:https://negrophonic.com/mp3/Super grupo colombia – Cumbia de la dinastia.mp3]
Jace:
Muchas gracias por escribir y difundir la marcha y lucha del pueblo mexicano contra la injusticia y crÃmenes que se están perpetrando en México.
Un abrazo.
césar
Your blog is so interesting … keep up the good work! Also, is your wordpress theme a free one? and if so..can i have it? 🙂
Rupture, this post really made me feel the solidarity. Thank you! I am a native of Cuernavaca and have been so moved being far away (in California) from my family and friends who are building a movement down there. I recently discovered your blog and have been listening and reading and when I saw this, I really felt it. Your thoughts on feeling connected to this cause because of Cumbia. Word. Thanks for standing together with all of us. Its a powerful thing.
thanks César & Luquetzalli. Solidarity indeed. My enjoyment of Cumbia functioned as a kind of doorway — rather than just stop there, I walked through it…
and Scarpe – my theme was based on an old free one but i did substantial redesign.