By José Gandue @spinning zone
Cover art by Zonagirante Studio
Let's start with an easy-to-understand sentence and that explains in advance part of what we want to say in the article. Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda of the Third Reich between 1933 and 1945, would casually say the following phrase: “"When I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun.". To the far right, to the fascists, to those who seek to annihilate their rivals from the face of the earth, to those who want to hammer nails into the rival's coffin, to those who force intellectuals into exile from their homeland, to those who make those who criticize them disappear, to those who use the terms "vermin" or "orcs" to dehumanize their opponents, They all find culture repugnant, that social and political phenomenon that evolves and that invites inclusion, rebellion, and defiance.
True culture is disobedient. He always wants to establish new schemes, apply new nuances, question what his predecessors have said, and renew the established landscape. It must also be said that culture is a response to what each society expresses and experiences. And each era demands something of its cultural exponents, whether they be visual artists, filmmakers, writers, or musicians, among others., that they invent their own form of insurrection every day. Does it sound too revolutionary? Too subversive? If all this scares you, We recommend you keep watching The Rose of Guadalupe and put on headphones to listen to the reggaeton nonsense on the radio.
Having said that, at this point, It must be understood that the most interesting cultural expressions do not remain stagnant in one model of manifestation. For many years, the protest adopted highly self-censored models of dissemination., stagnant, gray, sad, even depressing. Hey you, the one who wears the same wool sweater as your uncles who quoted Marx every other word, and who also drinks mulled wine in cobweb-filled caves to feel rebellious, dI have to tell you that your Silvio Rodríguez and Carlos Puebla cassette was always boring and killed all the gatherings of friends. As some respectable leaders out there say, It's time to listen to new songs.
And yes, we arrived on time. in which Pop has much more to say than the usual nonconformists. Or at least that's what we want to believe. If a president blames you for the misfortunes he himself insists on inflicting on the population from his armchair, calling you «"Lali Deposito"» and accusing you of stealing money from the State through your popular performances, The best way to respond to the president is with your own art. If your name is Lali Esposito And you have millions of followers around the world, and you've worked consistently since you were little to become the artist you are today, You have to seize the opportunity to change the ways of resisting power. And you can't forget that it's your songs that can make your people sing (controversial word, I know) and find new barricades to confront injustice. No, I don't think Lali would have put together such a sophisticated strategy as to believe that her song Fanatic, with over eight million streams on Spotify and seven million views of its video on YouTube, It could go from being a tune sung by many of its followers to becoming an anthem that represents a popular struggle, and, moreover, without ever deviating from the fun, from the desire to dance. But it happened:
⭕️ Students from the National University of the Arts held a demonstration with a choreography to the song "Fanático" by LALI at Once Station.
📍 This is a protest in defense of public education.
📼 @matricis pic.twitter.com/lCfU0vZV5N
— Filo.news (@filonewsOK) October 23, 2024
For those unfamiliar with the political situation in Argentina, Here's a very concise summary of what we see in the post: The government of Javier Milei, in pursuit of what it calls a "zero deficit economy", has decided to lower pensioners' incomes, take away their medications, privatize state-owned companies, and defund public university education., one of the most prestigious in the world. This is why the occupations of university faculties are growing throughout the country, and, in response to the accusation by the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, that these student movements are approaching subversion and arming themselves with Molotov cocktails, University students organize massive flashmobs in train stations, causing a greater impact on the population. And yes, it sounds Fanatic And the rebellious mass dances and smiles, fascinatingly pop!
Of course, what Lali has done, I don't expect from the vast majority of celebrities. The entertainment industry is often overly resigned and obsequious towards the system. Members of this pompous community enjoy posing with the most reactionary leaders and accompanying them to their charity galas. But times change, it seems, and we can't believe, as with culture, that everything will stay the same. I'm sure more pleasant surprises are coming.