La Victoria

So we haven't done too good of a job in keeping up-to-date with our blog so we're gonna backtrack a bit. Think back to Saturday, October 27...

We met up with the x-pat and took a bus to La Victoria, a poblacion in Santiago that was celebrating its 50 year anniversary of official existence. More than 50 years ago poor people squatted the land which eventually became acknowledged as a settlement. La Victoria has a strong history of political resistance and has been a breeding ground for active leftists. Many of the poblaciones in Santiago may have started with a leftist perspective but most have lost that identity. But La Victoria and another, Via Francia, still hold a strong identity as a radical poblacion.

We could tell we arrived by all the streamers strung in the streets and the colorful murals. It was amazing to see every street displaying a mural that depicts the pride the community has for itself and for its history and autonomy. Every where we walked we saw some faded and some bright words boldly remind us: "La Victoria, Always!" "Never Forget!" "Struggle!" "Live!" "Autonomy!" "Popular Education!"

Here is a picture of a typical mural in La Victoria. (indymedia)


Kids and adults were painting a beautiful new mural to commemorate the 50 year anniversary that we slowly watched into completion.

The streets were already bustling with activity by the time we arrived. We sat and watched a small group of folks playing capoiera in the street while our friends were preparing the stage for the hip hop/tango/punk/cumbia show later on.

We made ourselves useful by cutting tissue paper into streamers for the kids and then feasted on the common pot meal of noodles, beans, carrots and zucchini. Common Pot's have a long history in poblaciones based out of need for food and have continued as a cultural activity. We know it as a sort of Food Not Bombs. As we were eating and drinking a small bread van pulled up and handed us 2 huge bags of bread, just like that. And for payment they received whistles, shouts and applause.

After we eating we followed a small group of a mostly female samba group that played a variation of what we know as Reggae Samba. Gigi was dying to pick up a drum and join in (Cakalak withdraw in a MAJOR way) but thought best to keep to the sidelines. As we were returning to the stage, we walked upon a huge entourage of dancers in costumes, puppets, and a full brass and drum crew in the middle of the street getting ready to get down. Now the party was REALLY bout to start!

The anticipation of this ensemble's start was killing us with curiosity. Everyone was whispering to us how good they were and damn! did they look good in their fancy outfits and instruments. There was a loud whistle that blew in the air and all of a sudden the band struck out and 30+ dancers were spinning in time. The band is called Escuela Carnavalera Chinchintirapie and they play a traditional type of music to the North of Chile (and I think Peru). Maybe the coolest thing about this band were the drummers, who are called chinchineros, which simply means someone who plays a drum on their back. We highly recommend you visit their blog and look at the pictures. Our favorite is the tune "Nuevas Estrofas de La Piragua".

We marched with them for about 2 hours all over La Victoria. I think the whole town must've been outside with us in the streets singing along and dancing holes in their shoes. The puppets flirted with the kids, the grandfolk, the cars and the cops while the dancers spun and clapped and the band sung their hearts out. When we passed the cop station a couple guys from the crowd jumped on the cop car and sang out along with the band and the cops just stood there, unfazed. Maybe their presence is meak to the people of La Victoria (unless accompanied by tear gas) or maybe the cops don't care about petty stuff like that... But we definitely noted the many differences we were experiencing from our homeland (see top 10 list).

It was strange for us gringos to be present at this event. Not many people who aren't from La Victoria or nearby poblaciones visit it. Sebastian, one of our hosts, was telling us that he nor his friends has ever seen that side of Chile. There was no doubt that we were stepping off the beaten path not just for tourists, but for privileged Chileans as well. Maybe the fact that we aren't from here and without the same class experience we are sort of immune to cultural taboo's, or at least, not as sensitive to them. And so it is that 2 gringos without their Chilean family showed up at La Victoria's celebration.

We didn't really blend in, but no one made us feel put out. In fact, mostly we were made to feel so welcomed with smiles, nods and kisses. The highlight of the day was when an older woman with beautiful, long, white hair took a look at us dancing and opened her arms wide and with a beautiful smile, hugged and kissed Micah on the cheek. She was so happy! And we aren't sure why! But it was an amazing shared moment that'll stay in us for a good while.

Finally, we arrived back at the stage and there was a hip hop show waiting to start. We decided that we were tired and wanted to get back before dark so we left, much to everyone's protest... "You're gonna miss the cumbia!"