At the recent MTV Latin America awards ceremony, 'Residente', of the Puerto Rican group Calle 13, showed up in a shirt that read "Uribe Para Bases Militares" (Uribe, Stop the Military Bases). The design of the shirt offered a double meaning: "Uribe Paramilitar" (Uribe: Paramilitary).
While it's not sure which meaning was more offensive to the Colombian government, as either express equally damning truths about the regime, the Foreign Ministry felt compelled to issue a statement on the rock star's t-shirt: "The message presents offensive content against the president of Colombians."
(He also said Chavez should be nominated for the 'best pop star' award, and demanded Honduran coup government leader Micheletti "leave power".)
We've translated below the response of 'Residente', within which there are no apologies for expressing an opinion and a fact lived by too many in Colombia, as well as in the artist's native Puerto Rico. Adelante, Calle 13!
October 20, 2009
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Open letter to the Colombian foreign ministry,
I write this letter to let you to know how I feel from the bottom of my heart. I love Colombia, and that’s why I’m worried about the establishment of foreign military bases in the country. As a Puerto Rican, I have lived this reality in my heart and soul, and I wouldn’t like what happens in my country to happen in yours.
According to your statement, I have insulted your president through the text on my t-shirt. On that shirt there was a play on words, a double meaning. You can interpret it however you like. I read it clearly: Uribe, Stop the Military Bases. A clear and direct message.
Through Twitter, the people created the concept of my shirts. The Colombia shirt was made by a Colombian, the Venezuela shirt by a Venezuelan, and so on.
The idea behind the shirts was to give voice to the people, those who, in general, aren’t listened to. Instead of wearing a nice tie, I decided to send a message. The message didn’t come from me but from someone who breathes the same air breathed in Colombia everyday.
My struggle is not against the president but against everything that promotes war, such as the military bases. The text of the t-shirt represents the feelings of many young people in your country, those who like any other human being with feelings I share completely. In this century, it can’t be that there are still those who lack the ability to understand the right artists have to express what we feel at every level. Censorship shouldn’t be the business of government. Whoever doesn’t want to listen to me should simply not go to my concerts. That would be the most valid and legitimate way to censor me. With all due respect to Mr. Uribe, the president of Colombia isn’t Colombia. Colombia is much more than a president. As Rubén Blades says, “patriotism is not defined by those who suppress a people.”
With these words, I sign off. But before I do so, I send a kiss to all the places I have visited in Colombia, such as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Palenque, San Jacinto, Maicao, Cali, Medellín, Bogotá, Valledupar, Cúcuta, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Cartagena, and all the places that I haven’t been.
René Perez Joglar.
Residente
calle 13
Posts
3 comments:
unfortunately, those military bases are controlled by those whole are at present controlling the world, and these people cannot be opposed; uribe can do nothing about, it even if he wanted to. the united states, through their c.i.a., controls and protects their interests in vast amounts of the coca production in that country, which they then bring into the u.s. and wherever else they wish to profit from it, just as they do with the opium/heroin production in afghanistan. unfortunately it seems residente, at his young age is not aware of the monstrous, unstoppable machine at work. his little protest t-shirt is laughable, yet sad in its ignorance of the big picture. who really thinks little columbia is going to take on the united states, the same people that control the u.n., the w.h.o., the i.m.f., the world bank, etc., ? people need to grow up. those bases are to keep the farc, and anyone else who might think of trying anything foolish, like withhold product/production, in line...
URIBE,STOP THE MILITARY BASES? GEE, IT LOOKS ALL SLICK ON THAT SHIRT AT THE GRAMMYS, BUT AGAIN, IT DISPLAYS PURE IGNORANCE OF TRUTH AND REALITY. LEAVE URIBE ALONE, BEFORE YOU GET HIM KILLED. FOOLS.
it's ColOmbia PEOPLE not ColUmbia. get it right first before calling anyone ignorant!!!
CANADIAN PROJECT REM to destroy Colombian biodiversity. Doesn't have Canada enough woods in its own country?? http://www.elcolombiano.com
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