Testimonies

The testimonies are sorted by publication date, showing the new ones first.
Click on to sort by witness, to sort alphabetically by musical piece title, or to sort by publication date.

Futuristic Anthem (Himno futurista)

Author:
unknown
Testimony by:
Patricio Polanco
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros de Pisagua, November 1973
Tags:
« In 1973 and 1974, Pisagua was characterised by the harsh and cruel treatment of political prisoners. Singing was mandatory for prisoners, who were guarded by Army platoons, and it was also a means to avoid beatings and collective mistreatment. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 05 January 2015

Gigi the Ladies’ Man (Gigi l’amoroso)

Author:
Jacqueline Misrahi, Lana Sebastian and Paul Sebastian. Popularised by Dalida.
Testimony by:
Eduardo René Cuevas
Place & date:
Regimiento de Infantería Reforzada Nº 3, Los Ángeles (actual Regimiento de Infantería Nº 17), October - November 1973
Tags:
« This song was used while the Military Intelligence Service (SIM) subjected me to cruel torture at a clandestine torture centre in the southern Chilean city of Los Ángeles. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 21 March 2015

Go Tell It to the Rain (Ve y díselo a la lluvia)

Author:
Clan 91
Testimony by:
Eduardo Ojeda
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Isla Dawson, 1973
Tags:
« We had a comrade who sang beautifully. He was called Peye and was a student at the State Technical University. I’d never met him before but later we becamoe great friends in the Compingin Camp on the island. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 16 October 2015

How Can I Describe This to You? (Cómo hacer para darte una idea)

Author:
Sergio Vesely
Testimony by:
Sergio Vesely
Place & date:
Cárcel de Valparaíso, 1976
Tags:
« This is one of two songs I wrote in prison for my beloved Graciela Navarro. In the song I tried to draw her closer to me, describing my everyday world and my experience of life as a captive. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 22 June 2015

How We Resemble Each Other (En qué nos parecemos)

Author:
Unknown. Popularised by Quilapayún
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, September - November 1973
Tags:
« During the 1960s the band 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 - from September to November 1973. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 23 December 2014

I Can Trust the Lord (Puedo confiar en el Señor)

Author:
Unknown
Testimony by:
Sigifredo Ramos Vásquez
Place & date:
Cárcel de Temuco, September - December 1973
Tags:
« 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. One religious song really struck a chord among my fellow prisoners, to such an extent that it took on the character of a true battle anthem. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 27 July 2016

I Come Back (Vuelvo)

Author:
Patricio Manns (lyrics) and Horacio Salinas (music)
Testimony by:
Fernando Aravena
Place & date:
Cárcel de Santiago, 1989
Tags:
« During our mate-drinking gatherings in the Prison of Santiago, we always talked about the song ‘Vuelvo’. It gave you the hope of returning to the fight. The prison was only something temporary. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 27 April 2019

I’m Not from Here - To my Comrade, my Love (No soy de aquí - A mi compañera)

Author:
Facundo Cabral, with lyrics modified by a political prisoner
Testimony by:
Alfonso Padilla Silva
Place & date:
Campamento Prisioneros Estadio Regional, Concepción, 25 December 1973
Tags:
« The choir of male prisoners sang a piece called “A mi compañera” (To my comrade, my love) to the music of “No soy de aquí, ni soy de allá” (I'm not from here, nor from there) by Facundo Cabral. I don’t remember who wrote the lyrics. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 15 December 2014

King Ñaca Ñaca (El rey Ñaca Ñaca)

Author:
Sergio Vesely
Testimony by:
Sergio Vesely
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Melinka, Puchuncaví, 1975
Tags:
« “Ñaca-ñaca” was an interjection we used at Camp Melinka whenever we wanted to signal and poke fun at any dark thought that might crossed our minds. That may be why it seemed the ideal name to give to the papier maché puppet that played the role of the mean king in the puppet stories we performed to entertain the children who came to visit their captive fathers. »
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Published on: 23 September 2015

La Adelita

Author:
Unknown
Testimony by:
Luis Cifuentes Seves
Place & date:
Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, January – February 1974
Tags:
« This is another song that was performed by the band Los de Chacabuco and was sung in the prisoners’ weekly show. It’s a very old Mexican song that was popular in Chile. It used to be performed in the compound set up by the prisoners, and rehearsed at Los de Chacabuco's venue in the so-called Civic District. »
[Read full testimony]

Published on: 11 November 2015