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Chile’s 9/11 (encore edition)

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Chilean wind ensemble Grupo Raiz in the early 1980s. Source: www.hollynear.com

Chilean wind ensemble "Grupo Raiz" in the early 1980s. Source: www.hollynear.com

As the world observes the 7th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the U.S., few realize the dark significance of that day in Chilean history. Thirty-five years ago, on September 11th, 1973, a U.S. backed military junta toppled socialist president, Salvador Allende, marking the beginning of decades of oppression.

On this edition, correspondent Pauline Bartolone brings us the story of a group of Chilean exiles living in the U.S. They reflect on the coup and talk about how music transformed their experience of terror into artistic expression.

Featuring:

Hector Salgado, Chilean exile and musician/film maker; Quique Cruz, Chilean exile and musician/artist; Fernando “Feña” Torres, musician and organizer; Lichi Fuentes, musician.

Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Producer: Pauline Bartolone
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Production Assistant: Elena Botkin-Levy
Intern: Aubrey Green
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Associate Director: Khanh Pham

For more information:

Amnesty International – London, UK

Cultural Survival – Cambridge, MA

Human Rights Watch – New York, NY

Chile

International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Chile, September 11, 1973 information

Audio recorded at:

La Pena Cultural Center – Berkeley, CA


Review of this program on PRX (Public Radio Exchange):

Posted: 11-06-2005
Reviewer: Yolette Garcia, Director of Community Engagement, KERA

The lyrical and soothing voices of these exiled Chilean musicians belie their scars of imprisonment during the U.S. backed 1973 coup d’etat against President Salvador Allende. As one of the musicians said, they were “Che wannabes” who were angered about their country’s repression. A couple of them were sixteen and seventeen when they were sent to concentration camps. Remarkably, the musicians found the times to be difficult, yet liberating because they could pursue their creative expression.

This documentary is well-crafted, bolstered by archival tape of rallies and the sound of Allende’s voice as he tried to calm his country during upheaval. As expected, good interludes of music allow the musicians’ political perspectives to flow.

After the Chileans were exiled, they serendipitously ended up in Berkeley, where they performed and became active with a cultural center. They take a clear-eyed look at the times with passion and wryness. They also feel marked by having endured Chile’s 9/11—the day of the coup—and the American 9/11. Both days, they believe, were about terrorism.

The only short-coming of the documentary is its ending. It’s too loose and doesn’t leave this listener with a sense of completion. A note to programmers: The program is part of National Radio Project’s” Making Contact” series and it is introduced and tagged as such. If it were a stand-alone piece it might be more versatile. It is worth airing, nevertheless, because of its nice execution and interesting take on history.

Rating: 4/5
Adjectives: Contemplative, Engaging, Sound Rich

Author: Radio Project

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