Politics and Cumbia in Chile: Participatory Culture for Democracy (2 of 2) Felipe Valenzuela

Source: Villa Cariño archive

Max Vivar, leader of the cumbia band Villa Cariño

How is the relationship between the band and the hinchada?

We have always approached the folks of “Locura Villana” and other communities around the band to make them feel that they are not a fanclub or a hinchada, that they are an autonomous collective that accompanies the band, that has rights and power, and that the band has an obligation towards them. There is an explicit search for reciprocity in our relationship. They support us, but we support them as well. We are not only a cumbia band, we also try to spread a political message. And they are actively involved in that dimension as well.

In which ways?

For instance, we regularly play in the “Vivas Voces” festival, that is organized by Human Rights organizations. In those concerts, the hinchada manufactures special flags and banners with political messages such as “Truth and Justice”, “Don’t forget nor forgive”, “Memory”, etc. And beyond that, they are totally aware of the political struggle behind this concert. And nowadays, in the context of the social movement, they have organized their own public groups of discussion to think about the writing of the new constitution.

We have also had very rich conversations about the different views regarding the situation in Venezuela or other contingent political topics for us.

Another example: we were recently invited to play in a festival that was organized to celebrate the social uprising, celebrating that “Chile had woken up”. It was free, but the organizers would make money by selling food and drinks inside. The hinchada approached us to tell us that they thought it was inappropriate to be part of this party, in the midst of brutal aggression by the police to the people and active violation of human rights by the government. We immediately agreed and declined to participate in the festival.

So they have a political view that goes beyond musical affinity.

So there is a more horizontal relationship that the usual between a band and their fan base?

Yes, we aim to break that relation of exploitation that some artists have with their public. We are concerned in Villa Cariño to avoid creating those kind of relationships. There is of course, some innate verticality to the relationship. After all there is someone who is leading the band, or writing and composing the songs, or producing the concerts, but there is a disposition from both sides to construct a more horizontal relationship.

How do you see that this affects their own identity as more than a fanclub, as a more political community?

I usually tell them “you are more than a hinchada”, you are a collective, you could have your own internal organization and debates about topics that go beyond music. And they have done so. For the last presidential election, I was very involved in campaigning for one of the candidates. And they would ask me who should they vote for. Instead of telling them who to vote for, I would explain the differences between the candidates. I could see that many of the new people that were getting into the hinchada would see the political messages in our lyrics and got interested in learning more about history and politics. Our song “De Política, Amor y Revolución” (Of Politics, Love and Revolution), for example is the story of a Chilean political activist that was disappeared during Pinochet’s dictatorship. And it is a younger generation that is connecting with these topics. In this way, the members of the community get away from the idea of being a ‘fan’ or a ‘soldier’ of the band, and embrace the idea of being part of a collective and having a responsibility of representing the deeper, political message that is related to the band.

And how do you see your role, politically, as the leader of this band and as an important figure for this community?
Well, I wouldn’t be a musician if I didn’t believe in art as a political tool capable of transforming the world. As a band, we mostly made romantic lyrics, which is the traditional type of song in the cumbia genre. But in every record we would include one or two songs with a clear political message. On the way, we decided that we could not solely work to produce hits for the radio, but we needed to be an instrument for struggle and social change. This also led to a deeper conversation within the band members of our own political positions. So, in these days of social uprise, the band as a whole has a clear notion of our responsibility to be on the side of the social movements, supporting in every way we can. This same phenomenon happens inside the hinchada. And as they understand the political significance of what is going on, they give us tremendously valuable feedback, even suggesting song themes to write about.

Which shows the type of relationship you have constructed..

Exactly. They don’t demand things from us, but they acknowledge the trust and familiarity we have, that allows these type of exchanges. They feel that they have a space within the band, and they truly have it.

There is a caricature of the fan that is real. The fan that idolizes the band members and that might develop a sort of childish love/hate relationship with the band. We have worked to develop a different type of relationship, between one collective, which is the band, and another collective, which is a group of followers that have decided to commit not only with the music of the band, but with the political discourse as well.

Now, I’m sure there is a mix of both types of followers, right? You must have some fans that resemble the caricature you described

For sure. “You were cooler before, now I don’t like you anymore”, or “You have betrayed the original sound of the band” and the classic haters on social media. We are not free from that. And sometimes in person, fans come to me to voice their frustration or disagreement with the musical decisions we have taken as a band. And I believe that my role there is to keep quiet and listen to them. We compose and perform the music, but once it is out there, it’s no longer ours, it belongs to the people. Sometimes it’s hard to fathom how important this music becomes to some people. I could decide one day to leave the band and start a new project, but for some people, the music that we have made has a degree of importance that is deeply attached to their lives and identities. And that is sometimes expressed by the fans as frustration or anger. Another fan sent me a letter to let me know that his psychiatrist told him to listen regularly to the band, as part of the therapy to prevent him from trying to kill himself, after a failed attempt. Or another fan, contacted me through Instagram saying “Max, I fucked up with my girlfriend, could you help me fix it?” And I was thinking that I can’t even fix those problems in my life, but you feel compelled to try and help.

So the community around the band has a special relevance to your project

Yes. I am more interested in the community that gathers around the band that the sole endeavour of composing songs and selling concert tickets. I am interested in understanding them, in communicating with them. That is why is important for us to be part of the community and not only looking at the public from the stage.

Has the relationship with the hinchada changed since the Estallido Social in Chile?

Yes it has. At first we played a lot less, because many concerts and festivals were cancelled. And the moment we usually had to get together was around concerts, either before or after we would have get together and chat. Happily, we have seen them participating in the political rallies we have been part of. And even more beautiful, we have seen that different fan communities, from different cumbia bands have started organizing and marching together. In any case, we feel the need to see them more, they are support for us, and is important for us to keep the contact, to make sense of what is happening in Chile right now.

Felipe Valenzuela is a Chilean Journalist, currently studying a Master in Global Communication at USC. He was Associate Professor in the Universidad Católica de Chile and is currently researching how technology affects the media and political systems in Latin America, as well as the ways that different communities are adapting to these changes.