Last night, I went with my host mom and brother to a concert for La Presidenta, Michelle Bachelet, celebrating the first anniversary of her inauguration. Bachelet is a pretty insteresting figure- a single mother, a professed agnostic in a heavily Catholic country, a Socialist who was imprisoned and forced into exile by Pinochet, and a doctor by training (much like another famous Chilean socialist, Allende). Despite her non-traditional background, she is a very popular figure here (though less so after the botched implementation of Transantiago), and when she entered people jumped to their feet and applauded, genuinely excited that she was there.
La Presidenta walking on a wall. (Anyone know how to prevent Blogger from reorienting my pictures to horizontal?)The event, "Chile Canta Contigo," consisted of covers of songs by three of Chile's major artists, Victor Jara, Victoria Parra, and someone else whose name I forget, and a reading of some of Gabriela Mistral's poetry. There was also a short video highlighting the high points of Bachelet's first years (which oddly included a brief shot of a new Transantiago bus, enough to instigate a torrent of boos), complete with an uplifting soundtrack and flattering shots of Bachelet mingling with the pueblo chileno. Throughout the tribute, La Presidenta sat in the front row, completely exposed to everyone without any security in sight- which proved to be slightly problematic during the Gabriela Mistral set when a couple of women broke through the security barriers, ran up to the Presidenta and being yelling at her. Immediately dozens of guys in suits materialzed and jumped on the women, dragging them out, but Bachelet seemed to shrug it off and stayed to watch the end of her concert.
By far the coolest of the night was the audience's reaction to the songs. Everyone knew ALL the words to ALL the songs, and they would stand up and sing along during the choruses and climaxes. During one Victor Jara song, the entire crowd jumped up and shouted the lyrics, waving their flags and stomping their feet. It was really incredible to feel the energy and passion- it was more like a political rally than a music concert, espeicailly with all the Che Tshirts and socialist slogans.
Chilean flags waving during the concert. Can you find Ché?Overall, it was an incredible event to attend, and a great first-hand introduction to Chilean political culture. The mix of music and national pride, the way everyone seemed to be united in patriotism and Chilean pride- definitely not something I can imagine happening in America (especially since people can't even remember the words to the National Anthem). Also, it was interesting to see the scars of the Pinochet years- during the introduction to Victor Jara's set (a Chilean Bob Dylan who was killed by Pinochet immeidately after the coup), the crowd started chanting "Compañero Victor, te sentimos acá"- Brother Victor, we feel you here. That, and the loud booing at any mention of the Dictadura seemed to show the lingering bitterness at Pinochet, and was also evidence of how far the country has come from the repression of the past.
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