Victor Jara
Víctor Jara nació en 1932 en Lonquén, una pequeña ciudad al sur de Santiago deChile. Desde su infancia su familia luchaba por sobrevivir entre un ambiente de pobreza implacable y grave. Tal trasfondo era, sin duda, catalítico en su decisión eventual de hacerse un participante activo en el partido comunista de Chile y un partidario ardiente del presidente socialista Salvador Allende.
Después de servir en el ejército chileno, Jara se matriculó en la Universidad de Chile donde él estudió la actuación y el teatro. Luego, él prosiguió entrenamiento adicional en la dirección de teatro después de su graduación. Su carrera artística siguió transformando cuando conoció a Violeta Parra, una cantante de música folklórica chilena y compositor, cuyas canciones inspiraron el desarrollo de la Nueva Canción Chilena. Durante los años 1960 Víctor Jara comenzó a cantar en La Pena de los Parros en Santiago, un caldero verdadero de intercambio artístico y político, fundado por Violeta Parra y sus hijos Ángel y Isabel. Sus canciones se hicieron un medio que articuló las luchas y los sufrimientos de las clases obreras pobres en Chile, así como una vocación para el activismo social para mejorar sus vidas.
En 1973 el General Augusto Pinochet condujo las fuerzas armadas de Chile a derrocar, con fuerza y violencia, al gobierno marxista de Salvador Allende que era democráticamente elegido. En un esfuerzo para aplastar cualquier oposición política contra su nuevo régimen, todos los derechos civiles fueron suspendidos y las ejecuciones, la tortura y los secuestros se hicieron frecuentes y extendidos.
Víctor Jara era uno de muchos prisioneros políticos que fueron llevados al Estadio Nacional De fútbol donde él fue golpeado y torturado por las fuerzas militares. Se rompieron los huesos de sus manos despiadadamente, y es registrado que sus atormentadores se burlaron de él pidiéndole a tocar su guitarra así. Según Marjorie Agosín, en su libro titulado Tapestries of hope, the Arpillera Movement in Chile1974-1994 “ Víctor Jarra ...composed his last lyrics as a blindfolded captive in the National Stadium...[his] last words were, ‘How hard it is to sing when I must sing to horror’ (2)”. Entonces él fue ejecutado por el fuego de ametralladora.
Citaciones:
Agosín, Marjorie. Tapestries of Hope, Threads of Love: The Arpillera Movement in Chile, 1974-1994. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1996. Print.
Harris, Craig. "Victor Jara Biography." Biography. All Music Guide, n.d. Web. 16 July 2012. <http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/victor-jara/448725>.
"Obituary: Augusto Pinochet." BBC News. BBC, 12 Oct. 2006. Web. 16 July 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/472707.stm>.
"Songs of Violetta Parra." Amazon.com: : Angel Parra: Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2012. <http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Violetta-Parra-Angel/dp/B0000049Z4>.
(English Description)
Víctor Jara was born in 1932 in a small town south of Santiago, Chile by the name of Lonquén. From his early childhood his family struggled for survival amidst an environment of relentless and grievous poverty. Such a background was no doubt catalytic in his eventual decision to become an active participant in the communist party of Chile and an ardent supporter of socialist president Salvador Allende.
After serving in the Chilean army, Jara matriculated at the University of Chile where he studied acting and theater; afterwards pursuing further training in the field of theater direction. His artistic career continued to metamorphize when he met Violetta Parra, a traditional Chilean composer and folk singer whose songs inspired the development of the Nueva Cancion Chilena. During the 1960 ́s Victor Jara began singing at La Pena de los Parros in Santiago, a veritable caldron of artistic and political interchange, founded by Violetta Parra and her children Ángel and Isabel. His songs became a medium that articulated the struggles and sufferings of the poor working classes in Chile as well as an uttered hope that social activism could improve their lives .
In 1973 General Augusto Pinochet led Chile’s armed forces to forcefully and violently overthrow the marxist and democratically elected government of Salvador Allende. In an effort to crush any and all political opposition to his new regime, all civil rights were suspended, and executions, torture and kidnappings became prevalent and widespread.
Víctor Jara was one of many political prisoners that were led to the National Football Stadium where he was beaten and tortured by the military forces. The bones of his hands were mercilessly broken, and it is recorded that his tormentors mocked him by asking him to play his guitar. According to Marjorie Agosín, in her book entitled Tapestries of hope, the Arpillera Movement in Chile1974-1994 , “ Víctor Jarra ...composed his last lyrics as a blindfolded captive in the National Stadium...[his] last words were, ‘How hard it is to sing when I must sing to horror’ (2)”. He was then executed by machine gun fire.
Works Cited:
Agosín, Marjorie. Tapestries of Hope, Threads of Love: The Arpillera Movement in Chile, 1974-1994. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1996. Print.
Harris, Craig. "Victor Jara Biography." Biography. All Music Guide, n.d. Web. 16 July 2012. <http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/victor-jara/448725>.
"Obituary: Augusto Pinochet." BBC News. BBC, 12 Oct. 2006. Web. 16 July 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/472707.stm>.
"Songs of Violetta Parra." Amazon.com: : Angel Parra: Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2012. <http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Violetta-Parra-Angel/dp/B0000049Z4>.
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