By José Gandue @Gandour Photos by Karin Richter
It's clear. The Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park, in western Bogotá, is going to be packed (and quite full) next weekend. Everything is set for Rock al Parque, in its twenty-fifth edition, to be packed to the rafters for three days. And we might see in Tuesday's newspaper the exuberant photo, surely taken by a drone, accompanied by a story that will exuberantly declare that rock music has taken over the city. The same story will claim that the most intense shouts of excitement were heard, all to the rhythm of The black shirt From Juanes, or the pre-arranged phrase from some foreign band claiming that the Colombian capital is the rock capital of the continent, or something like that. Within a few weeks, YouTube will be flooded, every time we want to watch a music video, with official advertising, showing exciting scenes that will prove the high number of attendees at the festival, and we'll hear the announcer saying «"No more talk. Bogotá was filled with music. We have had the most successful edition of Rock al Parque in history. Thank you Enrique Peñalosa, mayor of the city.". Everything, definitely everything, is designed to make that happen. There will be a grand fanfare, and after the confetti has been collected, nothing more will happen. Only a few, weeks later, will ask whether it all served its purpose or was merely a grand exit campaign spectacle for a mayor desperately trying to cling to the memory of the city's younger residents.
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Please note, Zonagirante.com is not suggesting you skip Rock al Parque, far from it. To paraphrase the great Diego Armando Maradona, we say that Music, despite everything we believe happens behind the scenes, remains untainted. It's clear there will be great concerts and memorable moments that no one will want to miss. We, for one, are eagerly awaiting the moment we see them. Cristina Rosenvinge, Fito Paéz, El Gran Silencio, Eruca Sativa and other international guests and, among the locals, Pornomotora, Morfonia, Tras las púas and Curupira, Hoping for more surprises along the way. Yes, Rock al Parque's 25th edition is worthwhile, both for its tribute to past glories and because it might contain one or two new acts that need to be confirmed on stage. Likewise, in the curation of this edition, Given the need for a photo of the park full, There was no major risk in the selection of guests, They're playing it safe, and there's little spirit of sonic renewal, unlike what we've seen in previous years. We regret this, especially at a time when Latin America is witnessing a constant flow of new and interesting music. Rock al Parque in 2019 has very little that is cutting-edge at a time when the continent is experiencing one of its best artistic moments.. The organizers opted for a program featuring previously unseen legends on the same stages rather than a truly empowering and innovative selection that would refresh the audience's ears. This is what happens when the organizers' primary mission, under pressure from the Liévano Palace, It is excessive crowding rather than cultural expression.
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What matters least in this edition of Rock al Parque is the district talent, no matter what they say. This is reflected in the same percentage of participation of district bands (26 out of 72 groups present), in the communication about their selection and participation, and in the almost non-existent press plan for their promotion. Bogota artists are treated as fillers for the party, as the necessary evil of the occasion. There is no strategy for developing the local scene, no interest in fostering genuine exchanges with other movements from the Mayor's office itself, nor any effective promotion of these artists' circulation within the city. The festival organizers' management show such a lack of concern for local musicians that the agreements reached with other international entities to bring projects from Spain and Mexico leave much to be desired when it comes to offering bands from the capital. Even at a time when some politicians use orange in their rhetoric to talk about cultural industries, Inexplicably, they don't understand that Rock al Parque cannot be limited to being a three-day revelry where millions and millions of pesos are spent, only to arrive the following week and forget about those who stayed and live in this city making music for its inhabitants. The District Institute of the Arts (Idartes), with its consistently short-sighted and lazy approach, is only focusing on entertainment activities, but it's not building a sustainable cultural economy. They'll talk to us about the huge number of attendees expected at this year's festival, throwing around countless numbers, but the figures that truly matter to us won't appear because they still believe that rock, and other musical expressions, with a few exceptions in the entertainment industry, can't be part of a successful growth that also contributes to building peace.
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Finally, sorry, we insist: Pedrina. Given the lack of answers to our questions regarding their selection for the Special Shows at Rock al Parque, and the clumsily handled distraction from the inquiries at the press conference held at the Cinemateca Distrital, we suspect things we'd rather not think about and don't dare to say at the moment. But the cloud of doubt grows, and after analyzing all possible justifications, under the rules established by the organizing institution itself, We don't see how the selection of a musician whose artistic talent we don't doubt is truly justified, but whose participation process in the competition raises far more questions than it answers. We're not exaggerating when we say that this would be a stain on the entire festival. Not everything goes, that's clear, and even less so with public money.
