384 results where found for «How Can I Describe This to You?»


The Prisoner of Til Til (El cautivo de Til Til)

Music piece by:
Patricio Manns
Testimony by:
Renato Alvarado Vidal
« I arrived at Tres Álamos on the eve of the departure for Mexico with a large group of prisoners. The group included Dr. Ipinza, who before leaving entrusted me with the job of physician, the medicine donated by the Red Cross, and his position in the Council of Elders. »
[...]
« Through the glass door we could clearly hear how the police confronted him: 'You’ve let me down, Fuentes. I thought we were going to understand each other'. From this I gathered that in the past he had tried to make the prisoner become an informant. He proceeded to punch him, but Pulento put up with it like any long-suffering roto chileno. »
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Little Doctors (Doctorcitos)

Music piece by:
unknown. Folk tune from the Andes highlands
Testimony by:
Guillermo Orrego Valdebenito
« In 1974 - I don’t quite remember the month - the Chacabuco Olympics were held. The opening ceremony consisted of symbolically carrying the Olympic torch through the concentration camp. »
[...]
« Since I was an actor of the Sunday show, I learned that steps were taken for this squaddie to participate in our event, but it was not possible to dissuade him. »
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To my Little Dove (A mi palomita)

Music piece by:
Teófilo Vargas Candia, popularised in Chile by the group Quilapayún
Testimony by:
David Quintana García
Experience in:
Cárcel de Rancagua, 1974 - 1975
« On 10 September 1974, a folk band of Communist Youth activists arrived at the prison of Rancagua. They were arrested to prevent them from participating in the demonstrations and other acts against the dictatorship on 11 September through their role as musicians and activists. They were freed on the 12th. They were arrested again in September 1975. »
[...]
« It made us laugh a lot that the police officers hurt their hands applauding the song. Their intellectual level was very low – some didn’t know how to count or write. Because of this, it was easy to do things without them realising. We even had a library of Marxist books. »
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Under my Skin (A flor de piel)

Music piece by:
Julio Iglesias
Testimony by:
Carmen Espinoza Alegría
Experience in:
Colonia Dignidad, April 1975
« I’m from Talca. I met César, my comrade, my love, in 1971 or 1972, approximately. We were young idealists, we were members of Juventudes Comunistas, and were student leaders in our secondary schools. »
[...]
« That is how I could ascertain that César was also in Colonia Dignidad. I felt protected. It was a relief to hear this song, I felt that César was sending me a message that he was alive. Because in between so many voices and laments, I could not distinguish whether it was him who was being tortured. »
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Under my Skin (A flor de piel)

Music piece by:
Julio Iglesias
Testimony by:
César Montiel
Experience in:
Colonia Dignidad, April 1975
« At the beginning of the 1970s, I met Carmen, my comrade, my love, at the Juventudes Comunistas of Talca. We had the life of young idealists, sharing our everyday, living this revolutionary process so beautifully. »
[...]
« That's the curious thing, to this day we wonder how they knew that song was our song, the song of our love. None of the guards asked us what music we liked. I would ask myself: How did they know that ‘A flor de piel’ was our song? Which of my cell comrades knew? I felt uncertain and worried that they knew this and how much information they could access. »
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King Ñaca Ñaca (El rey Ñaca Ñaca)

Music piece by:
Sergio Vesely
Testimony by:
Renato Alvarado Vidal
Experience in:
« During the last third of the 20th century, the concentration camps of the Chilean dictatorship were characterised by a high grade of organisation among prisoners, as well as the overflowing creativity they applied to all areas of human ingenuity. »
[...]
« From nothing, contraptions to warm up water, radio transmitters and even a solar oven appeared! One day, a group was seeing how this oven - Boris Chornik's creation - worked and one prisoner commented jokingly: 'and then these assholes will wonder why we were prisoners here'. »
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Coplas of El Yopo (Coplas de El Yopo)

Music piece by:
Unknown. Traditional Venezuelan song. Popularised in Chile by Isabel and Ángel Parra
Testimony by:
Carlos Muñoz
Experience in:
« A comrade whose last name was Saavedra (if I recall correctly) sung this song passionately. This song earned him the nickname of ‘El Yopo’ (also ‘Chopo’), as is usual in popular culture. »
[...]
« my pain could not be described. »
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Words for Julia (Palabras para Julia)

Music piece by:
José Agustín Goytisolo (lyrics) and Paco Ibáñez (music)
Testimony by:
Amelia Negrón
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, 1975 and 1976, until the closure of Tres Álamos
« There were so many of us women prisoners. Despite the circumstances, we had managed to invent our own world, one with our rules, according to what we thought and wanted for ourselves, our families and all the Chilean people. »
[...]
« Introduction by Ana María Jiménez: 'We are going to sing a song that for us, former prisoners, has great significance. This is 'Palabras para Julia,' a song with lyrics by José Agustín Goytisolo and music by Paco Ibáñez. It speaks of strength, love, resistance, and it became the anthem of the women of Tres Álamos. With it, we greeted those who arrived and said goodbye to those who were freed. With it, we remember and want to share it with you today.' »
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I Can Trust the Lord (Puedo confiar en el Señor)

Music piece by:
Unknown
Testimony by:
Sigifredo Ramos Vásquez
Experience in:
Cárcel de Temuco, September - December 1973
« My experience during our captivity can be summed up in this personal observation. Protest songs were forbidden, so we had no other option than to sing religious songs. »
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After the War (Después de la guerra)

Music piece by:
Sandro
Testimony by:
Nelly Andrade Alcaino
« The military officials in charge of the Tejas Verdes camp made us sing. They gave us just one day to select the songs and rehearse. »
[...]
« Then I remembered Sandro’s song "Después de la guerra" and made the following argument: “All of us are prisoners of war, so everyone can relate to this song”. I recited the words and everyone agreed to sing it, so we rehearsed it all day long. »
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