A few days ago I received an e-mail message from a human rights activist with one of the main organizations in Colombia. She was saying goodbye. She had stayed in the country despite all the threats against her and her family, several kidnappings, the final forced-disappearance of her brother. But things are getting worse against human rights defender, and with much guilt and regret, she’s decided to go away. She has a daughter, she owes her something.
From the safety of my chair, of my home, of my town here in California, it’s almost incomprehensible to me that people can have so much courage, so much commitment, to continue fighting, day in and day out, against the horrors of death squads and genocidal democracies. I don’t understand why the Nobel committee has not yet given the Nobel peace prize to the collective of human rights defenders in Colombia. Nobody in the world deserves it more.
A short posting, on a blog, is not worth much – but I want this to be one of my homages towards the people who make me proud to be a human rights activist, and ashamed of not being a better and more courageous one.
Author: marga (Page 87 of 158)
Here is a frightening article about an Italian law that mandates the registration of any publication. Recently, a judged rule that as blogs have headlines, they are online newspapers and the author of one such blog is guilty of publishing a clandestine newspaper.
Now, this law is likely unconstitutional and in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights – but it seems this is a battle that will need to be fought in court.
Here is another song from Alberto Cortez which I like a lot, in my free translation. This is for my friends who actually read my blog.
I owe my friends the tenderness
and words of encouragement and hugs
sharing with them the bill
that life presents to us step by step.
I owe my friends the patience
of tolerating me the sharpest thorns
the outbursts of humor
negligence, vanity
fears and doubts.
Friendship seems sometimes
like a fragile paper boat
but even the strongest tempest
can never bring it down
because that paper boat
has tied to its helm
as a captain and helmsman
a heart, a heart, a heart.
My friend, if this song as the wind
calls you wherever you want to hear it
you’ll be plural, because feelings don’t show themselves
when you have your friends in your soul.
Tonight I went to see Alberto Cortez in concert. It was only the second time in my adult life I’ve gone to see a concert for myself (the first one was seeing Astor Piazzola in college). It was amazing. Cortez’ voice is as good as ever, he is an emotive singer and has a very friendly stage presence. The Fox Theater in Redwood City is a cozy venue, and we had great seats (even though I bought the tickets just two weeks in advance, more on this later). Cortez’ sang all my favorite songs (well, except for Gracias a la Vida, but I don’t think he wrote that song) and ended with Cuando un amigo se va, an incredibly sad song about the death of a friend that I’ve loved since I was a child.
And I have loved Alberto Cortez since I was a child. I don’t remember how old I was when I started liking him. 8? 9? Definitely no later than 10. I’m leading to a later date because I think I began to listen to him when my mother bought the radio-cassette player that my aunt still had until her death last year. But when was that? Definitely before I was 10.
My mom had an Alberto Cortez tape and I used to listen to it, loving all the songs but Cuando un amigo se va the best. I can’t remember how many times I’ve cried over that song in the last 30 years. Tonight, however, I cried over Distancia, a song about being far away from the place you were born.
I can’t explain how special it was to listen to the songs of who is probably my favorite singer, and has been for 30 years, live. I hope this is something I’ll be able to repeat one day – but he’s 68 and who knows if he’ll ever come to the Bay Area again. Meanwhile I’m still smiling.
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