CUMBIA VILLERA: Love it or leave it

by Verónica Fernández.

I live in Argentina, in an overcrowded working-class neighbourhood. Here, most people listen to “Cumbia Villera”. This fact has become a major controversial issue in Argentinean society. There is a strong rejection towards this kind of music, mainly by middle and upper class people; while for those of the lower class “Cumbia Villera” has been almost a religion since it appeared in 1999.

The truth is that, whether you like “Cumbia Villera” or not, you can’t deny it is definitely a manifestation of the voice of our social reality.

One of the “Cumbia Villera” main characteristics is the rudeness of its lyrics, the rebellious, sexist and brave vocabulary related to themes such as love, sexual experiences, police force, delinquency, drug abuse, etc. This has created a bitter disapproval by those who find the lyrics insulting for the members of a well educated society.  Another particular characteristic is the simplicity of the music itself. Many musicians and critics have been against “Cumbia Villera” as a firmly established style of music, considering it just as a bold attempt to belong to the artistic world.

On the other hand, “Cumbia Villera” has allowed many people to show their discontent towards the system. For these people, the main objective is to spit in the face of society their anger, their feelings as a left-aside social group. They feel music as a way of expressing their own interests and expectations while reacting against their lack of recognition.

Nowadays things are not simple to understand. Many people think that in spite of being a cultural phenomenon, which gave overlooked people a wider chance to be heard, “Cumbia Villera” has become a business as any other. Being regarded as the music of those who have no money to spend, the commercialization of “Cumbia Villera” represents more than the 30% of the Argentinean Music Market sales, and it is increasing surprisingly fast. Because of the loyalty of business to money, people find it difficult to keep on believing that this music still represents the interests of those who have been always dismissed by the system.

In opposition, a whole brand new focus is now being located on “Cumbia Villera”. It seems that there is an attempt to include “Cumbia Villera” in the repertory of great distinguished musicians. One example is the case of Andrés Calamaro, whose latest single – enthusiastically welcomed by most people- is actually a sort of “Cumbia Villera” song mingled with rock.

For the better or the worst, Cumbia Villera is now part of our culture, no matter what social class people belong to. This makes me think that perhaps Cumbia Villera is evolving as punk has done in the UK, or reggae in Jamaica, and also Hip Hop in the colour nation of the US. Anyway, one thing is certain, “Cumbia Villera” is here to stay.

Sherlock Holmes falls in love

By Verónica Fernández.

Everything started the night in which my boss contacted me. My next duty was clearly simple. I needed to defeat my only rival. It was said that he was a snake in the grass capable of ruining my boss´ business with the Police Force.   

I was very well known as a methodical secret detective of peculiar intelligence; analytic, smart, industrious, a bit eccentric. If you ask me, I would say a bit fool as well, but anyway, no one knew that by then, not even I, not even Watson, not even my rival. “I’ll start right away,” I told my boss. I would’ve liked to think that I said that because of my enthusiastic attitude towards my job; the truth was that it was boring being alone night after night. 

Right after the phone call, I went to the bar. I had been told my rival would be there by midnight. It was twenty to twelve so I stood by the entrance, silently, expecting him in the shadows. I remember that it was a pitch black night and the brightest full moon I had ever seen enchanted me immediately, so it took me by great surprise when I suddenly noticed that my rival was walking towards the entrance. For the first time in my life I felt I was in complete loss of words. 

My rival was a man in his late 40´s. He liked tobacco as much as I for what I could see, and by the way he looked down on the girls around, he wasn’t interested in women.  I had a few spirits and the next minute my rival and I were talking. “My name is E,” I remember telling him.  That was the moment in which he first looked at me.  I still remember the sparks behind his eyes.  He noticed something in me and I was certainly counting on that. I knew perfectly well he would show a bit of attention. I didn’t need to lie; smart people wouldn’t lie. I simply kept silence waiting for his reply. Watson, who had just arrived, stared at me suspiciously. Actually, getting rid of Watson was much easier than I thought it would be. I just pretended that my automobile had run out of petrol, so I asked my rival to come with me to find some. Finally, I was alone with him. 

Since that moment on, we met regularly. Actually, it was the first of many delightful meetings alone with him. Although we established a deep relationship, we both knew the truth, but neither of us had the courage to mention anything about it. Something unspoken remained between us; our secret. Like I’d said, I was a fool. I fell in love with him. I fell in love with Sherlock.  He always knew it was him I was meant to defeat and he just kept on pretending. As a matter of fact, he never asked me about my real name, he simply called me “E”. As I mentioned before, I didn’t need to lie. Smart people  wouldn’t lie. Would they? 

Elizabeth. 

The Kybalion

(review by Verónica Fernández)

“The lips of wisdom are closed,

except for the ears of understanding”

Philosophy is one of the main achievements of humanity. However, part of it has been secretly hidden from the eyes of civilization till very recently. This is the case of the hermetic teachings, root of occultism and esoteric knowledge, which had been created by Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt and only regarded as oral tradition. Based in several principles, the book introduces an alternative perspective about existence. Today, you are able to discover the mystery of Hermetists by reading “The Kybalion”. Get prepared for bringing into a new light your interpretations about the nature of the world and reality!