Music piece by:

Joan Manuel Serrat

Testimony by:

Beatriz Bataszew Contreras

Experience in:

Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, December 1974 - May 1976

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Tres Álamos was a more 'normal' camp, even though we never had a trial. There was a lot of music, it was sort of ritualistic.

There were days when we put more enthusiasm into it, on Saturdays or Sundays after the visits, although I’m not all that sure.

We would communicate with our companions who were one pavilion away. A kind of song-based dialogue was created.

They would sing one thing and we would sing something else. Sometimes we would take off on our own flight and sing on our own.

There was always a lot of singing. It was a collective act, of companionship and affection. We sang standing up, all connected like in an oval. It produced something with great connection and strength.

We would sing songs by Joan Manuel Serrat. I remember ‘Lucía’ because I liked it a lot, but no doubt there were others.

‘Lucía’ was for quiet and private spaces. You need a very good voice for this song. It’s difficult, not all of us would sing it. The comrade who sang it appeared to become one with the music. I think there was a guitar but I can’t say for sure.

‘Candombe para José’Song inspired by the candombe, a dance developed by African slaves in Uruguay. was very important. The line ‘ánimo Negro José’ (‘go for it, Negro José’) was a bit like saying ‘it will go away, there are always other possibilities’. I feel it was an encouraging song and also a way of showing each other affection.

Although it’s completely different, ‘Palabras para Julia’ (Words for Julia) also says that there is a future, in spite of the current circumstances.

‘Ode to Joy’ was extremely important. It suggests that there are going to be changes, that our situation is not going to last forever.

I seem to remember that someone brought up ‘Candombe’ and said ‘shall we sing it?’ And we sang it. Now we look for a reason. I think we don't tend to value chance.

Then someone might say ‘if I sang this it was for a reason’. I think that often things just happen, as they do in love. Rather than the lyrics, what made sense for me was that we, eighty women, sang it together. It was extremely potent.