President George Bush spent only a few hours in Colombia, the civil war-torn nation that remains one of the United States' few allies in South America.
March 25, 2007 (Press Release) --
After violent protests, he made a hasty run for the border.
The commander in chief left so quickly, he barely got a chance to try on the Juan Valdez-like straw hat and poncho, accessorized with a bag of coffee beans, that Colombian government officials presented to him.
The surreal turn of events promises to inspire another song by the socially conscious Latin rock band Aterciopelados, which likes to skewer political targets at home and abroad. (It will perform a midnight show Friday at the House of Blues.) Yes, laughed vocalist-guitarist Andrea Echeverri, speaking from her home base in Bogota. She and bassist-producer Hector Buitrago, the duo behind Aterciopelados, have plenty of quarrels with Bush 43.
"Oye" (2006), the group's fifth studio disc, questions the status quo on several tracks, including "Cancion Protesta" ("Protest Song"). It asserts the group's most fervent belief: music as a positive agent of change:
"Another protest song rings out/But don't call it a terrorist song/It's not that I'm unpatriotic/It's just that I bring another point of view."
But speaking out also has its consequences, as activists from Woody Guthrie to Victor Jara can attest. "We say it's OK to protest, because in this government, it's considered radical," said Echeverri, referring to the center-right regime of Colombian president Alvaro Uribe. "They think if you're not with them, then you're a terrorist."
Under attack for its ties to paramilitary death squads, Uribe's administration has lashed out against opposition forces. Meanwhile, back in the United States, Bush continues to put a positive spin on what most regard as a discredited political agenda: "In that way, Mr. Bush and Mr. Uribe are very much alike," Echeverri said.
"Cancion Protesta" recalls the nueva trova movement of the '60s, which arose in Cuba and spread out across Latin America; it name-checks several of the movement's heroes, including Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes, Violeta Parra and especially Victor Jara, killed in 1973 by death-squad forces backing Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
"The song pays homage to protest singers and their music. We also believe that music can change the world," said Echeverri, who co-wrote the entire album as usual with Buitrago. "On 'Oye,' we protest against the things we have to suffer like war, and [related issues like] deforestation and pesticides," referring to the environmental impact of the anti-drug crusade. "To control the coca crops, they burn and spray the fields but they are also killing animals and plants. That happens in Colombia a lot."
Source: http://www.msn.com
The commander in chief left so quickly, he barely got a chance to try on the Juan Valdez-like straw hat and poncho, accessorized with a bag of coffee beans, that Colombian government officials presented to him.
The surreal turn of events promises to inspire another song by the socially conscious Latin rock band Aterciopelados, which likes to skewer political targets at home and abroad. (It will perform a midnight show Friday at the House of Blues.) Yes, laughed vocalist-guitarist Andrea Echeverri, speaking from her home base in Bogota. She and bassist-producer Hector Buitrago, the duo behind Aterciopelados, have plenty of quarrels with Bush 43.
"Oye" (2006), the group's fifth studio disc, questions the status quo on several tracks, including "Cancion Protesta" ("Protest Song"). It asserts the group's most fervent belief: music as a positive agent of change:
"Another protest song rings out/But don't call it a terrorist song/It's not that I'm unpatriotic/It's just that I bring another point of view."
But speaking out also has its consequences, as activists from Woody Guthrie to Victor Jara can attest. "We say it's OK to protest, because in this government, it's considered radical," said Echeverri, referring to the center-right regime of Colombian president Alvaro Uribe. "They think if you're not with them, then you're a terrorist."
Under attack for its ties to paramilitary death squads, Uribe's administration has lashed out against opposition forces. Meanwhile, back in the United States, Bush continues to put a positive spin on what most regard as a discredited political agenda: "In that way, Mr. Bush and Mr. Uribe are very much alike," Echeverri said.
"Cancion Protesta" recalls the nueva trova movement of the '60s, which arose in Cuba and spread out across Latin America; it name-checks several of the movement's heroes, including Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes, Violeta Parra and especially Victor Jara, killed in 1973 by death-squad forces backing Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
"The song pays homage to protest singers and their music. We also believe that music can change the world," said Echeverri, who co-wrote the entire album as usual with Buitrago. "On 'Oye,' we protest against the things we have to suffer like war, and [related issues like] deforestation and pesticides," referring to the environmental impact of the anti-drug crusade. "To control the coca crops, they burn and spray the fields but they are also killing animals and plants. That happens in Colombia a lot."
Source: http://www.msn.com
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