BOLIVIA: Young Bolivian musician uses rap to reflect on his life as an Aymara Indian living in the poor city of El Alto

Record ID: 601881

  • Title: BOLIVIA: Young Bolivian musician uses rap to reflect on his life as an Aymara Indian living in the poor city of El Alto
  • Date: 15th November 2006
  • Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (RECENT) (REUTERS ) ABRAHAM BOHORQUEZ WALKING WITH A SHOESHINE BOY NEAR SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH THE SHOESHINE BOY'S TOOLBOX AND SHOES BOHORQUEZ TEACHING THE SHOESHINE BOY SOME RAP SONGS BOHORQUEZ'S FACE THE SHOESHINE BOY BOHORQUEZ TEACHING THE SHOESHINE BOY SOME RAP SONGS
  • Embargoed: 30th November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA4FWIIZY21KQSWWCXPU9ZRNWOL
  • Story Text: A Bolivian Aymaran Indian has burst onto the rap scene in his home country.
    Abraham Bojorquez grew up in gruelling circumstances in the Bolivian capital's satellite city, El Alto, with its high altitude, levels of crime and poverty.
    Bojorquez wants to convey his experience and the reality of living in such a place through rap, so that people are aware of what it is like living there.
    "This is part of everyone's experience, I try to reflect what I have experienced, what I experience and what I see and try to express this in (my) music," he explained.
    He wants to bring the plight of young people living in El Alto to light through his music and to boost their morale. Many children are robbed of a childhood and instead of going to school, work on the streets.
    Bojorquez hopes to use his politicized music as a vehicle to spur people into action, so that they fight to improve their lives.
    "We (rappers) have latched onto this style of music because it's like an instrument (we can) fight with, (to be an active citizen). (We are) helping the citizens, giving incentives for the continuation of the struggle, waking the young people up that are blinded by the system (i.e. raising consciousness)," he said.
    Like many who live in El Alto, Bojorquez is an Aymaran Indian, a group that has traditionally been downtrodden in Bolivian society. He wants them to feel proud of their background and culture and is already becoming a role model for the young in el Alto and la Paz, having given rap work shops to a variety of youngsters.
    His music is attracting great attention and acclaim at home and abroad. Patricia Costa, a Bolivian musician, explained why she enjoys his music.
    "From a musical point of view, they've tried to exploit many aesthetics, and all of those aesthetics make the music unique, they make it really nice. I really think this is excellent work," she said, talking of the touches of saya, cumbai, chuntunqui (styles of music) and jazz that he and his group employ.
    He also has fans overseas. Manu Chao, the famous and multilingual French artist sang at one of his concerts this year.
    For Borjoquez, the lyrics hold central importance in his music, which is evident from the lyrics, which include lines such as 'we want Goni's head and Mesa's and the heads of the incapable government' and 'I remember that day that they shot at my people from a helicopter, killing my brothers, the miners and the people in the country.' He also talks of broader things such as capitalism in his songs.
    He explains that he wants his music to record what is going on in Bolivia.
    "I want my people to feel like they identify with the music and at the same time to show the reality of what has happened in the country so that this goes down in history. And I want the people, or the young people, that have recently coming forward to have this as a memory. We are trying to leave footprints for them," he stated.
    This genre of music, rap and hip hop originated in the poorer neighbourhoods of the United States and was used to articulate the difficulties of surviving in such areas. Borjoquez has adopted the style and changed the language to do the very same in Bolivia.
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