Testimonies

Testimonies are sorted by publication date, showing the newest first.
Click on to sort by witness, to sort alphabetically by musical piece title, to sort by publication date, or to use advanced filters.

Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)

Music piece by:
original by Friedrich von Schiller (lyrics) and Ludwig van Beethoven (music). Free version in Spanish by Amado Regueiro Rodríguez, aka Orbe (lyrics) y Waldo de los Ríos (music), popularised in Chile by Miguel Ríos.
Testimony by:
Amelia Negrón
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, 31 December 1975
Tags:
« Preparations for that Wednesday night became more intense. It would be a different night. We women prisoners had secretly organised ourselves, but more importantly, we had also coordinated with the male prisoners. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 29 December 2014

How We Resemble Each Other (En qué nos parecemos)

Music piece by:
Unknown. Popularised by Quilapayún
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, September - November 1973
Tags:
« During the 1960s, the group Quilapayún popularised this old Spanish song in Chile. Víctor Canto and I performed it as a duet in Santiago’s National Stadium, which had been converted into a concentration, torture and extermination camp. »
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Published on: 23 December 2014

To Sing by Improvising (Pa’ cantar de un improviso)

Music piece by:
Violeta Parra
Testimony by:
Claudio Enrique Durán Pardo (Kila Chico)
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros Melinka, Puchuncaví, June 1975
Tags:
« We made a Venezuelan cuatro from a large plank of wood attached to one of the walls of the "ranch" where we ate. »
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Published on: 23 December 2014

Answer Me

Music piece by:
Fred Rauch (lyrics) and Gerhard Winkler (music). English lyrics by Carl Sigman. Recorded by Frankie Laine.
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, September - November 1973
Tags:
« I sang this song, as a soloist, in the dressing rooms of the National Stadium. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 23 December 2014

Dreams of my Imprisonment (Sueños de mi encierro)

Music piece by:
Mario Patricio Cordero Cedraschi
Testimony by:
Mario Patricio Cordero Cedraschi
Experience in:
Cárcel de Valparaíso, Winter of 1975
Tags:
« I’d spent two years in prison and there was no end in sight for my time in jail. I observed during visiting hours that many prisoners had children, a wife, family. »
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Published on: 23 December 2014

Partisan Anthem (Himno guerrillero)

Music piece by:
Spanish version of 'Makhnovtchina', attributed to Ukranian anarchist Nestor Makhno, based on anonymous Russian melody.
Testimony by:
Julio Laks Feller
Experience in:
Recinto DINA, José Domingo Cañas Nº 1367, September 1974
Tags:
« In late September 1974, the Soviet partisan’s song was intoned softly but with an awe-inspiring force in the José Domingo Cañas torture centre. »
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Published on: 19 December 2014

The Crux of the Matter (La madre del cordero)

Music piece by:
Tito Fernández
Testimony by:
Servando Becerra Poblete
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, 9 November 1973 - 10 November 1974
Tags:
« I recited this poem in the National Stadium. I continued to do so in the Chacabuco prison camp, earning the nickname of “Venancio” from my fellow prisoners. »
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Published on: 18 December 2014

The Crux of the Matter (La madre del cordero)

Music piece by:
Tito Fernández
Testimony by:
Servando Becerra Poblete
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, 9 November 1973 - 10 November 1974
Tags:
« I recited this poem in the National Stadium. I continued to do so in the Chacabuco prison camp, earning the nickname of “Venancio” from my fellow prisoners. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 18 December 2014

Lucky Devil (El suertúo)

Music piece by:
Víctor Canto and Luis Cifuentes (lyrics), Roberto Parra (music)
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November 1973 - February 1974
Tags:
« This cueca was composed at Chacabuco sometime between November 1973 and February 1974 and was sung by Los de Chacabuco, of which Víctor Canto and I were members. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 17 December 2014

A Cocky Fellow (El puntúo)

Music piece by:
Víctor Canto and Luis Cifuentes (lyrics), Roberto Parra (music)
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November 1973 - February 1974
Tags:
« This cueca was composed in Chacabuco between November 1973 and February 1974, and was sung by the band Los de Chacabuco, to which Víctor Canto and I belonged. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 17 December 2014