Viva Chicago Latin Music Festival! got it right with this year’s line-up of Lila Downs and Aterciopelados. While Lila had to cancel because of illness, be certain that Aterciopelados will not only be there but will give fans a stimulating musical experience with a full dose of social consciousness.
This year, you can rock out to songs from Aterciopelados and have the chance to get in with the activism by signing petitions at the festival. Aterciopelados is performing at Viva on behalf of Amnesty International. They have partnered with the organization to promote awareness of their major campaigns dealing with The Women of Atenco, who fell victim to police brutality after participating in a non-violent peasant protest in San Salvador Atenco Mexico in 2006.
Andrea and I chatted about issues facing women today, in particular women in the big office. Now, while we saw the possibility of a Presidenta of the U.S with Hillary Clinton, Chile and Argentina have been welcoming the “era de las presidentas” way before Hilary ran for office. I got the chance to hear some of Andrea’s opinions on the possibility of a presidenta in Colombia’s upcoming election. Although Colombia has some female candidates running, Andrea remains reserved at the prospect of them winning in this election for Colombia. According to Andrea, “Colombia still remains conservative and remains to overcome much prejudices”” But when the day comes ( oh, cuz it will), I asked Andrea what she would title the song for Colombia’s first presidenta? And, “Florecita Poderosa” it is.
“Feminine energy esta haciendo mucha falta, a lot of the themes occurring, like immigration, have to do with masculine view – like competition, while feminine energy is to care for one another,” she said. In Aterciopelados’ most recent album, Rio, they dedicate the song “Bandera” to the issue of immigration.
And once you get Andrea talking about male domination, she likes to snapp: “It was a way to plant that our patria es nuestro planeta and humanity our brotherhood/sisterhood, everyone should search for their mission and do it walking-much of the issues behind immigration, such as the relationship of first and third-world countries is ignored- the history of conquest, and the third-world debt, they pretend that they have no relation with immigration… The system should be another, it should seek equilibrium instead of closing the doors.”