"Vuelas Vuelas Palomita," a Night of Poetry and Song

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 12:49

Artists presented immigration-related music and writing Monday night at the University of Arizona's Poetry Center as part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department's ongoing Immigration Week event. The night spotlighted the 'corrido,' a Mexican ballad traditionally consisting of melodic poetry set to an acoustic guitar accompaniment, and included performances by musicians Guillermo Saenz and Ted Warmbrand, as well as a book reading by novelist John Irvington.

The evening was emceed by Dr. Javier Duran, associate professor and director of Border Studies who teaches Spanish and Portuguese, and featured Dr. Celestino Fernandez as a speaker.  Fernandez, a University Distinguished Outreach Professor at the University of Arizona, teaches sociology and has earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading scholars of the "corrido."  Fernandez himself composed two of the corridos featured Monday night performed by Guillermo Saenz, titled "Cien Kilometros" (100 Kilometers) and "Peligro en el Desierto" (Danger in the Desert).

After a brief overview presented by Duran, Fernandez took the podium.  Fernandez spoke briefly about the often complementary relationship between social justice and art.  He talked about the importance of awareness and immigration as a human phenomenon.

"People immigrate for many reasons.  They move because they're forced to, to escape political persecution, or religious persecution, or because of natural disasters.  But the search for work remains the number one draw," Fernandez said.  "There is no Mexican family that hasn't been touched in one way by immigration."

The corrido has a long history dating back to the early 19th century and the Mexican War of Independence.  Old corridos were frequently written about legends and heroes, or told stories of epic romances.  Modern corridos, like the kind that was performed on Monday, tend to be about current issues surrounding the border, and lyrics often tell stories of the hardships and challenges faced by immigrants.  Fernandez said that these themes are common because they touch on universal struggles faced by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.  Characteristics of corridos include a basis in factual stories, and musically they maintain a constant tempo with a steady rhythm.

Stating that the focus of the night should be the performances, Fernandez then introduced Guillermo Saenz, the first performer.  Saenz performed several corridos in Spanish, collaborations between Saenz and Fernandez.

Next, MFA student John Washington read an excerpt from his new novel about the borderlands, set in Nogales, Mexico City and Tucson.  He recently won the Pell Pen Short Fiction contest for a story about the border and was granted a fellowship by the English Department.

"If it were up to me, right now I would go sixty miles south and pull down the border wall," he said as a way of introduction. He talked about what he felt about a writer's role in the context of these controversial issues, and how he as a writer sometimes felt powerless to bring about any real change.

Washington's parents are immigrants from Romania and he has worked with the activist organization No More Deaths.  His work has been influenced by his time spent working with No More Deaths, the immigrants he met and the experiences he had.  The excerpt contained a stirring account of an immigrant worker struggling to hang on to his factory job while dealing with drug addiction and the sense of not having a home.

Ted Warmbrand, a local folk singer with a history of political activism, came up next.  Warmbrand is involved with the Sanctuary movement, and has also worked with No More Deaths.  He has been performing music for over 40 years.  For his first song, he pulled out a banjo.

Warmbrand performed several songs, including the protest song "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" and the anthem-like "Who's the Criminal?" which issues a sharp moral imperative on human rights.

With the conclusion of the performances, the floor was opened for audience questions.  Among the questions asked were how the artists thought awareness could be raised, their ideas on solutions and why people in Arizona remain resistant to the human rights messages and stories being told by activists.  Washington saw the current immigration debate as "low level, name-calling, and hysterical." Fernandez observed that "immigrants contribute much more to the economy than they take."

When asked about the narratives being pushed by the media, and the effectiveness of these narratives, Duran said, "We're not doing a good job telling stories.  The stories are out there.  We have to do a better job, using different media to tell the stories."

Written by Sean Yuan Ma You are reading "Vuelas Vuelas Palomita," a Night of Poetry and Song articles