Testimonies

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

La López Pereyra

Author:
Artidorio Cresseri
Testimony by:
Germán Larrabe
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Melinka, Puchuncaví, 1974 - 1976
Tags:
« This Argentine zamba* was the first song we tried to perform in Puchuncaví, with a group made up of prisoners transferred from Chacabuco Detention Camp together with us, newly arrived 'Puchuncas'. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 05 March 2015

Sadness (Tristeza)

Author:
Hermanos Núñez
Testimony by:
Germán Larrabe
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Melinka, Puchuncaví, 1974 -1976
Tags:
« A very sad song, often performed by parents of young children. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 05 March 2015

An Old Love Tune (Tonada del viejo amor)

Author:
Eduardo Falú and Jaime Dávalos
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November 1973 - February 1974
Tags:
« The Los de Chacabuco band, created and conducted by Ángel Parra, performed this zamba* by Eduardo Falú and Jaime Davalos at the camp’s weekly shows. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 19 February 2015

Amalia Rosa

Author:
Tino Carrasco
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November 1973 - February 1974
Tags:
« Los de Chacabuco, a band founded and conducted by Ángel Parra, performed this Venezuelan folk song, known as joropo*, singing it at the weekly prison camp show. I dare say it was one of the favourite songs of the audience, comprised of political prisoners. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 19 February 2015

Words for Julia (Palabras para Julia)

Author:
José Agustín Goytisolo (lyrics) and Paco Ibáñez (music)
Testimony by:
Amelia Negrón
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, 1975 and 1976 until Tres Álamos was closed on 28 November 1976
Tags:
« 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. One might think we were ambitious women, and yes, we certainly were. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 10 February 2015

Free (Libre)

Author:
Nino Bravo
Testimony by:
Guillermo Orrego Valdebenito
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, 1973
Tags:
« This song was performed in the Stadium grandstands by a worker from the Madeco factory: Peineta Vasquez, winner of a Song Festival that was organised at grassroots level, during the times when we were allowed to leave the spaces under the grandstands, inside the stadium,  to sunbathe, together with women from various countries, before they got sent off to the pool area. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 15 January 2015

Chacabuco’s Soul (Alma de Chacabuco)

Author:
Ángel Parra
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November - December 1973
Tags:
« This is the original version of a composition by Ángel Parra at Chacabuco, as secretly recorded at the prison camp during his farewell concert. The composer’s voice can be heard. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 15 January 2015

Free (Libre)

Author:
Nino Bravo
Testimony by:
anónimo
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, September - November 1973
Tags:
« While waiting in the grandstands to be interrogated for the first, second or more times, we would sing "Free" to those who were being lined up to be released. "Free" was a catharsis, a mixture of joy for those who were going and hope for those of us left behind. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 13 January 2015

The Scholar (El letrado)

Author:
Quelentaro (Gastón and Eduardo Guzmán)
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November 1973 – February 1974
Tags:
« From the first time I heard it, I was impressed by the way the duo Quelentaro sang this song, which was also written by them. When I sang it, I always tried to sing it in their style. I never sang it on stage, only for myself or for small groups of friends strumming guitars together. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 13 January 2015

The Vargas War (La guerra de los Vargas)

Author:
Unknown. Lyrics modifed by political prisoners.
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, November 1973 - February 1974
Tags:
« This old Venezuelan song, written by an unknown songwriter, and that has had many variations, was performed by Los de Chacabuco in during the camp’s weekly show. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 13 January 2015