Cantora: Mercedes Sosa, the Voice of Latin America
by Melisa Fernández Nitsche
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00For those who raise their voice.
00:07Cantera, Mercedes Sosa, the voice of Latin America.
00:12By Melissa Fernandez Nietzsche.
00:15What if a voice became a symbol of justice?
00:18I'm here to offer my heart, said that voice.
00:22The voice of Mercedes Sosa.
00:25Mercedes grew up in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
00:30A place where valleys are vibrant and the high peaks of the mountains reach the sky.
00:36She loved the sweet scent of the orange trees and the buzzing sound of the cicadas which
00:40announced the arrival of warmer days.
00:43Mercedes played in the park with her brothers their beating hearts flying free.
00:49She'd hear songs on the neighbor's radio and shyly hum along under her breath.
00:55Back home, Mercedes's mother cooked for the whole family.
00:59Her hands made magic with just a few ingredients.
01:04The salty rich taste of her homemade la croix would soothe some of the hardships of poverty.
01:09Mercedes's father worked in the sugar factory and her mother washed and ironed clothes.
01:16She saw how hard her parents worked and how little money they got.
01:21It didn't seem fair.
01:23One morning at school, the principal asked Mercedes to stand and sing the national anthem.
01:30Sing loudly Mercedes, she said.
01:34Sing loudly.
01:35And we'll follow you.
01:38Although Mercedes was embarrassed she sang.
01:41Her voice left the students and teachers in awe.
01:45That same day, her friends convinced her to sing in a radio competition.
01:51Name, asked the announcer.
01:53Gladys Osorio she mumbled, making up a new name for herself.
01:59When she finished her song, the announcer declared the contest over.
02:04Even if a thousand participants show up, no one will sing like you Gladys, he told her.
02:11From then on, Mercedes never stopped singing.
02:15She used her real name when performing, but was still nervous and looked down at the stage.
02:22After a few songs, she built up the courage to peer at the people in the audience.
02:27Her honest, loving gaze captured the hearts of everyone listening.
02:32With a bombo by her side, Mercedes didn't feel so shy anymore.
02:38The instrument beat and beat along with her voice.
02:42The sound echoed with the words.
02:44It became a compass for her music.
02:47I want boom.
02:49To offer boom.
02:51My heart boom.
02:54Mercedes sang with her soul.
02:56Her voice gave life to the folk lyrics she chose to sing.
03:01Stories about children living in the streets, tired farmers and the unfair pay of workers
03:06like her mother and father.
03:09Stories much like hers.
03:11People started calling her the voice of the voiceless.
03:15She made it her mission to tell their stories.
03:18Mercedes wasn't just a singer anymore.
03:22She was a cantora.
03:24Anyone can sing she said.
03:26I'm a cantora because singing is my duty.
03:30Libertad.
03:31Queremos trabajo.
03:32El pueblo unido.
03:33De cas para los obreros.
03:34Cantemos juntos.
03:35Justicia.
03:36Mercedes's voice knew no boundaries.
03:46She became a bridge between cultures, languages, and generations.
03:51Ula Lane.
03:53She took these stories to every corner of the world making Latin folk music popular
03:59and mixing it with pop rock and tango.
04:02But not everyone in Argentina wanted her to speak up.
04:07The military dictatorship threatened Mercedes and banned her records.
04:12Her songs are too powerful they said.
04:15People are protesting against us through her music.
04:20Mercedes's heart trembled and raced through each performance.
04:24The threats should have stopped her, but she kept on singing.
04:28They need my heart! she shouted.
04:32Until she was arrested in the middle of a show.
04:35After spending all night imprisoned, Mercedes was freed.
04:40She had to flee to Europe carrying only her bombo, three suitcases, and a handbag.
04:47But some things didn't fit in her luggage.
04:51Mercedes missed her family.
04:53She'd hear Spanish songs on the radio and him along under her breath.
04:58In exile, she couldn't taste a her mother's homemade La Croix.
05:03And the sweet scent of the orange trees was nowhere to be found.
05:08The love of her homeland only grew stronger.
05:11The farther you are from home, the closet it is to your heart.
05:16She thought.
05:18Three years in exile felt endless to Mercedes.
05:22She longed to go back to Argentina.
05:25The minutes felt like hours and the hours like days, until at last.
05:30She could finally go home.
05:34Mercedes was afraid she had been forgotten.
05:37But children farmers and workers welcomed her by singing her songs, while gauchos on
05:42horseback escorted her home.
05:46Mercedes was back in her homeland singing louder than ever, her heart flying free.
05:52Mercedes' voice still beats strongly today, just like her bombo did.
05:57A voice committed to telling stories about Latin America.
06:01A voice so powerful it became a symbol of justice.
06:06The voice of a canterer who was here to offer her heart.
06:10Melissa Fernandez-Nietzsche is the illustrator of I Wish Wish Wish for You by Sandra Magsaman.
06:16She has a bachelor's degree in advertising and communications.
06:21Her bold and beautiful art has been featured in advertisements, children's games, and digital
06:28media.
06:29Melissa was born and and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she still lives.
06:35Cantera is her debut as author-illustrator.
06:39You can visit her on her website at melissafn.com or on Instagram at melissafn.
06:45Tambien disponible en español.