Venceremos: Victor Jara and the New Chilean Song Movement

Description

When socialist Salvador Allende won Chile's presidential election in 1970, a powerful cultural movement accompanied him to power. As the CIA actively funded opposition against Allende, the New Chilean Song Movement rose to prominence, persuading voters with its music. Victor Jara became an icon in Chile and beyond for his revolutionary lyrics and life. A short cultural history, Venceremos' charts the movement from Allende's victorious campaign to the brutal U.S.-backed military coup in 1973, which overthrew Allende and imposed Dictator Augusto Pinochet.'

Gabriel San Roman is a multimedia journalist. He is a former coproducer for KPFK Pacifica Radio and a writer for the Orange County Weekly. His work has appeared in numerous outlets, including Common Dreams, Truthout, and Z Magazine. He lives in Anaheim, California. T. M. Scruggs has taught at the Universidad Centroamericana, Florida International University-Miami, and was the sole ethnomusicologist at the University of Iowa. His research focuses on the use of music to construct social identity and effect change, primarily in the Americas. He lives in Berkeley, California.

"A well-written history and analysis that never forgets what the subject matter is: music for the ages." --Gustavo Arellano, editor, OC Weekly, and syndicated columnist for !Ask a Mexican! --James Brennan, professor and chair of history, University of California, Riverside