 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Feature: Americas | |
Latin Links
by Jon Lusk
 If there's one thing this year's four nominees for the Americas section have in common, it's the issue of identity. All of them have used music as a kind of psychic divining-rod in their respective quests to uncover more about their roots. And in turn, they make music which echoes this search, conveying a vivid sense of place. In a post-colonial world where globalisation and cultural homogenisation are steadily increasing, music that does this has more and more appeal to audiences looking for alternatives to bland manufactured corporate McMusic.
Paradoxically, that doesn't mean these artists are oblivious to foreign influences. Quite the opposite. Los de Abajo's music has an almost schizoid quality, combining aspects of Mexican roots with internationally popular styles like ska, reggae and rock. This mix-and-match approach is typical of many twentysomething artists the length and breadth of Latin America, and their drummer Yocu Arrellano explains it thus: 'Maybe because we are looking for something, you know, maybe because Mexicans and Latin Americans, we don't have a strong nationality or a strong identity. I don't know what I am. I am half Spain, half from Mexico. So we are just looking. I think the Mexicans, we have a tradition of no nationality, of we don't know about who we are and for centuries ago, and the music of course (reflects) this thirst.'
 Lila Downs found herself literally between two worlds as a result her mixed heritage. She spent much of her youth in the wealthy North with her Scottish American father, far removed from the Mixtec Indian culture of her mother. It was only through telling other peoples' stories of loss that she began to understand her own, and she has made it her life's work to reclaim such intangibles through music.
 Susana Baca has done something similar in her exploration and modernisation of Afro-Peruvian music. Peru¹s small but significant black community was robbed of many of its ancestral African traditions as a result of slavery and its aftermath, an absence Susana felt from an early age: 'When I went to school, I began to realise that the Andean girls were able to find their history in books about the Incas. But as a black woman I couldn't. There were many questions I began to ask, and I still ask them.'
 Recent history has probably ensured that Cubans have a stronger and more independent identity than any other Latin Americans. But with Cuban revolution a constant everyday reality, rather than a historical fact, that identity is always under review. Yusa challenges the nostalgic old fashioned image most foreigners have of her country's music by showcasing the multitude of local and international influences that shaped hers. And like Los de Abajo's most recent album, her debut uses 'found sounds' from her local urban environment to add atmosphere.
It's significant that none of these artists make instrumental music; they all have a lot to say, and they do it with strongly poetic sensibilities. They all come from 'New World' cultures which are still very much in the process of inventing themselves. As recent election victories in Brazil and Ecuador show, there is a general shift towards the left in Latin American politics, which is tied up with an increasing cultural assertiveness. This shift in popular sentiment also has a strong subtext of resistance to U.S. cultural and political imperialism. And that can only be good news for the music.
Jon Lusk is a New Zealand born freelance writer and photographer based in London. He specialises in popular and unpopular music from around the world, and has a particular interest in Latin and African music. He has travelled extensively in Latin America, and is a sporadic but enthusiastic student of Spanish.
More American Music on Radio 3:
Bolivian quena playing in Ipswich
London Paraiso School of Samba
Chilean vocalist in London
Texas Western Swing in Orkney
Why awards? read on
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AWARDS HOMEPAGE
FEATURES
AUDIENCE AWARD
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AWARDS PHOTOS
NOMINEES:
Alka Yagnik
Bembeya Jazz
DuOuD
Eliza Carthy
Ellika and Solo
Gotan Project
Kasse Mady Diabaté
Kayhan Kalhor
Kimmo Pohjonen
Lila Downs
Los de Abajo
Mahwash and Ensemble Kaboul
Mariza
Oi Va Voi
Ojos de Brujo
Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Orchestra Baobab
Papa Noel and Papi Oviedo
Salif Keita
Samira Said
Sergey Starostin
Susana Baca
Te Vaka
Tony Allen
Trilok Gurtu
Yair Dalal
Youssou N'Dour
Yusa
OUR PARTNERS:
fRoots magazine
The Rough Guide to World Music
Serious International Music Producers
Songlines Magazine
WOMEX
BBC Asian Network
BBC World Service
BBC London Live
OTHER LINKS:
Worldbeat at Radio Wales
Mondomix
Ocean Music Venue
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