Latin America have a beautiful tradition in Protest Music, from Mercedes Sosa to the mystical Facundo Cabral. Such music is beauty and a pretty remarked recommendation...

We have also many more people that used to play music far beyond University affairs and romantic Socialist landscapes. Very rude young people here in Colombia, about two decades ago in the 80's, were suffering directly issues related to the poverty and the real impotence to achieve just a pleasant life.


"No more impunity before the crimes of injured humanity in Colombia"

The zone of Antioquia in Colombia suffered a big wave of violence caused by governmental blindness and passive attitude against the drug lords. Those people contracted children from twelve or more years to kill politicians and other influential persons. They were know as "Sicarios" (snipers). Moreover, Colombian government was doing the war at the same time against guerrillas.

The big violence unleashed then, and our uncertain future because of the very low job stability and easy money obtained from drug dealing, caused many reactions and opened the minds of many young people upon the war, the politics and the low price that life takes under certain circumstances.


Images from "Rosario Tijeras". A world-wide known Colombian movie about those times of "Sicario"'s gangs, actually based in the book with the same name.

There, in Antioquia, a bunch of those kids formed the band La Pestilencia "The Pestilence" and started to sing his shouts in a pretty sincere tonality, being followed by a crowd of anger and non-conformist young people.


Waving Colombian flag

I present you an awful Punk lyric of the old Colombian band La Pestilencia. I said "old" because they have moved to the U.S.A. and despite of this opportunity to show his faces to the world, the music contracts made his music light, easy to listen, and also meaningless. I have grown listening his old music, which was hardcore-punk although it is not my musical preference and pretty bad.

To know a bunch of stories that joined my life with "La Pestilencia" and the combative spirit of many Colombian people read a little of this:


Soldado Mutilado (Mutilated Soldier)

Ahora Sí..!
Now, it is..!

Con las medallas de tu país... ¡soldado mutilado!
Has sido condecorado.
With the medals of your country... mutilated soldier!!
You had been decorated.

Sin un brazo estás deformado... Bendición de la nación.
Without one harm you are deformed... Benediction of the nation.

Se sienten orgullosos de tí, que luchas por tu país.
¡Estúpido servil!
They are proud of you, who fight for his country.
Stupid servile!!

Amor te quieren infundir, amor con un fusil. Listo para morir!
Love they want to infuse in yourself, love with a rifle. Be ready to die!

CHORUS:

En nuestro país hay el 89% de oportunidades para morir.
In our country there are 89% oportunities to die.

Aquí hay mil decretos para atender los derechos del hombre...
There are one thousand regulations to attend the rights of the man...

En otras partes podrían ser unos pocos...
In other locations they would be a little ones...

Dónde ¡"Señora Paz"! ¿nuestros derechos?
Where! "Lady Peace"! our rights?

¡Nuestro deber es vivir! ¡Enfrentarse es morir!
Our duty is to live !! confronting is to die !!

Retroceder es vivir, enfrentarse es morir
To retreat is to live !! confronting is to die !!
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For the medals of your country..! Mutilated Soldier! [...]
For the medals of your country..! Mutilated Soldier! [...]
For the medals of your country..! Mutilated Soldier! [...]