The musician Joan Manuel Serrat is part of the Central America Festival has which will start from Monday, May 19 in Totonicapán and Comalpa, and will continue in Guatemala City from Tuesday 20 to Friday, May 24.
Serrat offered a press conference to the media allied to the festival in a capital hotel. Dressed in a gray sweater and with the simplicity that characterizes it, he received a group of journalists with whom he talked about exactly 25 minutes.
He highlighted his recent trip to Tikal, held over the weekend with his wife. “That part of Guatemala did not know her. The country is extraordinarily beautiful and rich in culture, in people, in landscape and history,” he said.
Serrat messages in Guatemala
The Spanish who was born December 27, 1943 has recorded more than 500 songs40 albums and has put music to the verses of the most laureate poets.
Serrat has spread its music both in Spain and Latin America, with compositions and Mediterraneanconsidered one of the best songs in Spanish of all time.
In his talk he said that the Central America festival is “a meeting point for people who agree that culture is somewhat accessible, something natural, something that is not unusual.”
Reflections on Children
Among the themes he developed during the press conference was childhood. “Unfortunately childhood, because of its helpless situation, it is especially vulnerable and should be socially more protected than it is. Its normal place would be a solid house, in a family that was well built, a school with good teachers that would allow it to reach levels of knowledge to move in life and defend themselves in the face of what is coming ahead, and be prepared to receive the future. Unfortunately, all this does not happen,” he said.
He also stressed that children are used for their ease of handling and low cost, and are like beggars, gunmen, soldiers, traffickers, among other activities in which they use them.
Migration and political vision
Another of the issues he addressed was that of migration. “I believe that the immigrant was never a problem. Never. Migrations occurred throughout history … They are a process, and people, out of necessity, seek to place themselves in the world in a safer place, where they feel better, where their expectations are better fulfilled. And now they are satanized to the migrant because certain governments intend to wash their face to the coast of blaming other of their miseries,” said Serrat.
He also stressed that “people leave today married to the United States of America, with destinations to infinitely more insecure places for them, such as the Supercárceles of El Salvador,” he added.
Tribute to Mujica and Message for Latin America
The interpreter of Songs and Penelope He also recalled the recent death of his friend José Mujica, considering him a good man. “Pepe Mujica was an example of a leader, a figure opposed absolutely to the presidents that one sees that come and go through Latin America. Pepe Mujica was a fighter of freedom and her ideas.”
By asking him for a message of hope for the Latin American region, he mentioned the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci, who said that “against the pessimism of intelligence you have to put the optimism of the will.” And he added: “We look around; really, it does not seem that we have to feel very satisfied with what humanity is chasing and getting in recent years. But that is why we have to feel oblivious to what happens or stop being participatory in the future,” said the Spanish singer.
During the conference there was also talk of the evolution of music. “In music, the feelings are the same. I do not think there was a more romantic music before and now a more rhythmic music. This would be to forget that we were born with very rhythmic music, extraordinarily rhythmic. The rhythmic that are handled now are direct descendants of the rhythmic music that had been 100 or 150 years ago,” he said.
Where to see Serrat in Guatemala?
This is the second time that this activity is carried out in the country. More than 60 national and international guests will attend with issues on literature, creation, cinema, music and key aspects for the region, such as freedom of expression, human rights and migration, among other topics.
By Tuesday 20, during the opening ceremony of the event, at the Lux Theater, at 5:45 p.m. a dialogue between Joan Manuel Serrat, awarded the Princess of Asturias Award, and the President of the Festival, Sergio Ramírez.
This edition is dedicated to Miguel Ángel Asturiasin commemoration of the 125th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his death.
All activities are free. Programming is available on the portal www.centroamericacuenta.com.