Written task 1

Ricardo Arjona and his controversial lyrics

One of the most renowned men in Latin America is the Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona. He came into this world on January 19, 1964 in the town of Antigua in Guatemala. When he was three years old his family moved to the capital, where he spent his childhood and started his education. Years later he moved to Mexico where he was determinate to pursue his singing career. Nowadays it is estimated that he has sold over 20 million albums, which include all sorts of musical taste, from Latin pop to Cuban music and more recently a mix of Texan and “Norteña” music. One of his most admirable characteristics is his lyrical style. He frequently addresses social issues such as racism, immigration in “Si elnorte fuera el sur” and political corruption apart from the very common theme of love like other musicians.

One of the most controversial songs that he ever released was “El noticiero” in english “The news”. This last song talks about social issues and corruption in general but focuses more on the Mexican society. Arjona accurately put into words the most important and common issues representing the Mexican masses. Through his poetic lyrics he criticizes the government, media and also the Catholic Church. This brilliant parody of a Newscast is what a sincere Newscast would sound like. In the first stanza he says, “after the brake we come back with the most complete version of all that we endure” doing so he mocks the television industry in Mexico. Since the government controls the major television company in Mexico they always say what is convenient for them leaving the real problems of the country behind. Continuing he lists all the fake headlines including:

1. “O.J. was freed, Michael gave ten million for apology” referring to political dishonesty.
2. "They bapulearon (hit) another undocumented, it was self defense, said the jury” criticizing the unequal rights of Latinos in the U.S.A.
3. "The ex-president runaway with what he took from all his people” again a critique towards corruption and its effects.

Later in the song he makes a comparison between a mythical demonic creature and politicians saying, “The chupacabra is a typical case, the product of the mixture of two politicians”. Another interesting fact to look at about the “chupacabra” is that it sucks the blood out of people until they die which can be taken as a metaphor. In this case the politicians are the ones sucking all the country’s resources for their own survival not caring about how it will affect their own nation.

Apart from the lyrical meaning of this text it is also remarkable how Ricardo Arjona incorporates the people’s voices by using a very specific language. Throughout the song we see a very simple language, use of abbreviations, very typical low class expression and low register are found. An example of a very Mexican expression used in this text is “lo que se le pega la gana” which in english can be translated to “whatever he pleases”. This allows us to have a better idea from what perspective it was written and to whom this was destined. Another musician that really embodies his culture through his lyrics is Bob Marley especially in his song “Them belly full”. Good examples of dialect used in this song are “a pot of yuk” in english a pot to cook and “yood no nough” meaning food is not in off. Another common factor that indentifies these songs as more towards the lower class or working class are the abbreviations used such “pa’…” in Ricardo's song and “d’…” used by Bob Marley.

Finally in the Chorus Ricardo Arjona mentions a total unrelated topic but still addresses a global issue. Indirectly he accuses the Catholic Church more specifically the Vatican of poverty when he signs “ The Vatican prefers kids with hunger than preservatives”. In my opinion it is ironic when you stop to think about it. The Catholic Church has all this money but still has never done anything to really improve the situation of these children. Child abuse along with child labor are very serious issues that the world has been dealing with since the beginning of history. In the present day a large number of activist and charity companies have attempt to solve this issue in many different ways. One of them is advertisement against companies that commit this crime.

In this add we can see how they tried to mock the employee of the month award. This particular add presents children that are more likely to be from East Asia but child labor not only exclusively happens there. Child labor is also present in Mexico although Arjona does not address it directly he mentions the maltreatment of undocumented workers, which can be directly linked to this. A lot of teenagers between the ages of 14 to 18 illegally go to the U.S in sake for a better future but end up exploited because their rights are limited or more likely nonexistent.

Mexico is home to a unique set of cultures formed from enigmatic civilizations. The Mexican society and its heterogeneous nature involve many contrasts, very marked peculiarities and identities. Because of the massive migration from the countryside to the cities in search of better employment conditions, three quarters of Mexicans live in urban areas. However, there is still a great diversity of ethnic groups and a strong sense of regional belonging including linguistic varieties. Moreover, even tremendous disparities in economic resources, access to education and social status are observed. Mexican culture is jealous of their customs and yet totally heterogeneous. Due to such migration to cities and to the U.S, the need to have a regional and ethnic identity is fundamental for them. Since the vast majority of the population is mestizo, synthesis between European and indigenous cultural elements is common. However, preservation of indigenous heritage as a constituent part of national identity is also considered extremely important.