Reflections by Vanesa

The documentary gives different artists from different regions a chance to explain their thoughts on their art. The documentary from the start has an artist exclaiming that graffiti is an insect just like any other bodily reaction and how "all walks of life" can participate in it.  Cornbread says that people remember his name and the more they remembered and spoke about it, he drew more. Lava and Tracey 168 both say how the Bronx was “trash” and had been left to die and that this is a way to fight the system. Stay High 149 also says that the city was in an horrible condition and that he wanted to “give it something to do” so he started. These artist lived in this area and the condition of it, allowed them to realize that they could make it better. On the whole, they were aware that the city/government had forgotten about them and participating in graffiti would remind them that they exist. TKID also discusses how when he was arrested for gang related violence, his support...

The Bomfim article emphasizes that Calle 13 blends rap rock, reggaeton, cumbia and other genres together.  All of these genres are fundamental for the creation of Calle 13's music.   I actually didn’t know that “RAP” means rhythm and poetry until reading the article. I also had not thought about that the way lyrics are delivered is purposeful and meant to be in “a direct, fast and blunt way…” (Bomfim 71). Calle 13’s music can be compared “to the movement Nueva Canción Lationamericana”; Residente affirms this and “has stated that he was inspired by the Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa when he wrote the song [Latioamérica]” (Bomfim 72). Cultural memory is represented through the different instruments that are used in the song; these folk instruments pay homage to older traditions. The lyrics tell a cultural memory of the people facing challenges and exploitation that many can relate to.  Lationamérica:  In the second verse Resident explains that he has been...

The Rebel Diaz group was exactly as I had imagined them to be... laid back and very chill. I found the brothers to be humble yet passionate about their work. One of my biggest questions going into their workshop was their creative process.  Their songs can be a lot to take in and I found myself having to listen and read the lyrics at the same time to not miss anything. The brothers said that it is an alternating process between the two. These brothers don't miss a beat and want to be able to give you as much information as possible.  Through our reading I became intrigued that the group didn’t align themselves with any particular party. Before this semester, I had never really thought about how in the U.S. we only have 2 dominant parties that are supposed to represent our nation. I took "World Politics" this past semester and was able to see that this system can be flawed. Rebel Diaz acknowledges this and brings attention to the fact that while smaller parties don’t ge...

I had never heard of Rebel Diaz before the readings, but our reading on the group made me interested in learning more about them. They don't align themselves with any particular party and emphasize how our 2 party system fails us when it comes to voting. Their Chilean background was the topic of our class and we discussed how their own father had been imprisoned during Allende's fall. I had known that Chile had gone through waves of democratization and dictatorship, but I never knew that part that the U.S. had played until today. The U.S. didn't agree with Allende being put in power through legitimate votes and many copper corporations voiced concerns when they were not able to exploit Chilean citizens with Allende's plans for the economy. Since Allende had been voted into power with the consent of the people, the U.S. could not just march in and throw him out. Instead, the CIA created a coup climate and like President Nixon was quoted made the economy "scream...

The three hours of class flew by today. We started with introducing ourselves and talking about our pet peeves,  favorite foods and childhood memories. Most people had similar expectations of the class being that they expect to be able to learn more about the Latin community in Greenville. A good portion of today's class was spent with Emily O'brien, a Furman alum of 2017. She and Erik facilitated a dialogue workshop.  I have been through similar workshops through Furman, but I always find myself coming out of these dialogues learning something new about other people and myself.  Emily asked us to go stand by the identity that we knew most about and this is a question that I had not heard before during one of these workshops. I was a bit confused about which identity to go to and I decided to stand by socioeconomic status. It had never occurred to me that this is a status that I know most about, until I was explaining why I had chosen to stand there to the class. I know t...