GWSS Blog Post #4

Raia X
GWSS 241

What a week it has been. What a perfect time to talk about activism. Unfortunately, I was not able to make Tuesday's class discussion because I was ill. However, I can only imagine what a thought-provoking learning opportunity it was.

In Martha Gonzalez' Chicana Artivista, we learn about the impact of her work on the Los Angeles Chicano music scene. Quetzal served as more than an outlet for artistic expression. It also allowed for  Chicano influence on the civil rights movement. The sentiment of Mexican music carries a significant presence, and when I explored the 2014 album Quetzanimales, I especially appreciated the distinct ability to hear the syncretism of cultures through the mariachi, violins, and elongated Spanish and English lyrics sang with confident pride.

My DJ selection in honor of Martha Gonzales is Shakira's Suerte. The fact that Shakira made a Spanish AND English version of this iconic song is something I still struggle to understand. This was of course part of her artistic exploration, but I can't help but think of how much better it sounds as a Spanish anthem. Here is the Spanish version:

https://youtu.be/a8Rwz6zBJSE

In American Sabor, we read how the creation of commercial media infrastructure just within Miami was able to create mega stars like Shakira herself. I think the Latin-American industry is inherently taking a stance and "political" for some, given the immigrant narrative that POC take on in a country with racism and xenophobia engrained in its very soil. I had no idea that CBS was the first to create a latin division, and that makes me think they are 1) strategic and 2) respectable. It takes a lot to be the first to take actions such as these, whether its splitting off a major media company to make a latin company for representation, or posting #BlackLivesMatter.

My DJ selection in thinking of commercial media infrastructure with the Latin American context is Danza Kuduro. It makes me giddy when cultures cross, and clubs play songs outside their usual Drake and Future mix. There is something exciting about representation in the music context.

https://youtu.be/us3tczsrKQc

Thank you for everything this quarter.