MuchWorldMusic: EXPLORING SOUND CULTURES -- GUATEMALA EDITION (1 hour)
Produced: 1998

This video presents us with many aspects of the issues of minority groups in Guatemala, especially the problems of the indigenous people. We also experience the panorama of musical styles played in many regions of Guatemala. There is no voice-over narration, but some flowing titles provide background information and explanation. There are many titles requiring frequent reading. For the most part, the youth, musical artists and social workers speak for themselves. Human rights is an underlying, ongoing theme in the video, and government oppression of and sanctioned violence against minority groups is referenced. More information and background on Guatemalan music and these issues can be found by using an internet search engine and the search terms: Guatemala, music, culture.

After more than 35 years of war, a peace treaty was finally signed on December 29, 1996, under the leadership of president Alvaro Arzu. Since the signing, president Arzu and the rest of the Guatemalan people have been anxious to keep the peace and strive for a new and more positive beginning.

President Arzu was on hand to celebrate [the treaty], as were Guatemala's top bands. The number one group being Alux Nahual, who have been rocking central America for over 16 years.

1. Guatemalan Problems
Alux Nahual's Alvaro Agular:
"In Guatemala there are problems. People trying to find jobs. They are forced to get money and there are not enough jobs. They go to the streets and they start mugging people, and there are a lot of robberies. Kidnapping is a big problem right now. Also lack of education for the people. We are a country of 60 percent indigenous people, people who speak 22 different tongues. It's very hard to get one culture out of so many cultures in one country. So education is a big problem here."

As you look at the concert celebration and listen to Alux Nahual's music, do you see or hear anything similar and/or different from what you might see or hear during MuchMusic's Intimate and Interactive events on Queen Street in Toronto? Could this be Alux Nahual at MuchMusic? Would they be successful on MuchMusic? Why or why not?

2. Guatemalan Impressions
We see many still images in black and white of Guatemalan people. We also hear a long statement without subtitles. In the background we hear jazz, not Guatemalan folk music.
What impression of Guatemalan people do you get from the images? Which one image is in the most striking for you? Why? Find someone who can translate the voice-over and examine how the voice and the images go together to create an impression. What is the effect of the jazz in the background? Do you think it would have been more effective to hear Guatemalan folk instruments instead? Why?

3. Interview with a Musician from Innercia
Interviewer: "Is there something that distinguishes Guatemalan music from the rest of Latin America? Musician: Folklorically speaking, there is music that distinguishes our country. But like I told you, folk music is not exportable because it's not commercial. So we hope to change that with our next disc, adding those elements so we can give a better image of our country."

Why do you think folk music is not exportable? What is the difference between folk music and commercial, or pop music? How does this help us understand the function that folk music plays in people's lives? List some kinds of Canadian folk music. Is it exportable? Why? Can you identify any folk music that IS exportable? What qualities of the music or the audience make it an exception?

4. Canadian aid for Disadvantaged Women
There is an interview with a Guatemalan prostitute. Following that, there is an interview with a Guatemalan social worker. What problems is the social worker concerned about? What are the causes of these problems? What is 'machismo' and how does it contribute to Guatemala's problems? Are men the cause of Guatemala's equity problems? Are men the solution? How do you think the problems can be solved? What can Canada do to increase its help in solving these problems?

5. "No Me Arrepiento" Diego More
We see a portion of Diego's music video. It is presented mostly in black and white with some colour. The images are mostly of Diego and a woman.
How successful would this music video be on MuchMusic? Explain. How would you describe Diego's hair style? Is it a common hair style in Canada? How do you describe Diego's clothing? Is it similar to clothing styles in Canada? How would you characterize Diego's music (what kind of music is it)? Do you think it could be successful on the Canadian music scene? Why or why not?

6. Caribbean Influences in Guatemala
Livingston is the only uniquely Caribbean town in Guatemala. It is accessible only by boat. The culture here is distinctly Caribbean.

Interviewer: "What is the history of the culture and music of this area?"
Grupo Bahia Azul: "Our culture is from Africa. (The music) first it's a dance that is Hugugu. From there we celebrate it, with our ancestors, it's a spiritual dance because they ask for things during the ceremony."
"In which language is this sung?"
"The language we sing is Garifuna. The Garifuna dialect is from here and Livingston but the Garifuna language is a mixture of French, German and a bit of Kek'Chi of the indigenous people, a bit of Africa and a bit of patois. Before, Guatemala didn't recognize that there were Garifuna people here in Livingston, in Guatemala. Now it has been recognized that there are Garifuna people here. So there's a special festival on the 26th of November, it's the Garifuna festival of Livingston. There's also the 15th of May, that's also a special Garifuna day."
"What is celebrated on those days?"
"We celebrate that it has been recognized that here in Guatemala, there are black people, people of colour."

List the languages that combine to create Garifuna. From this list, hypothesise possible historical reasons for the inclusion of each language. Research Guatemalan history to verify the accuracy of your hypothesis. Look at the location of Livingston on a map of Guatemala. How does Livingston's location help you understand why its culture has a strong Caribbean influence?
Describe the people, the clothing and the decorating used in the Garifuna club. How similar are these elements to clubs in Canada? Could all of these things be found in clubs somewhere in Canada? Could the music be heard somewhere in Canada? What is there about the music that suggests its African roots?

7. Ak'tenamit
We travel up the Rio Dulce to a development project, Ak'tenamit. With funding from the Canadian embassy, it empowers Kek'chi Indian communities through education and health programs.
A volunteer nurse examines a 17-year-old boy who suffered from severe malnutrition. Other common problems include burns, snake bite, machete wounds and malaria.
We hear from a volunteer nurse about her 17-year-old male patient. He had stopped eating out of guilt, and was weak from starvation when she found him. She took him in with her for a year and a half. Now he had gained weight and was going to school. In what way has Canadian participation improved conditions in this small village? The nurse has removed the boy from his family. Who has this benefited? Who might it hurt?

8. Music in Church
Even more remote was a village hidden in a swamp on the banks of the Rio Dulce. This church practices a hybrid of Catholicism and ancient Mayan religions.

Churchgoer: "God created the guitar and all that they're playing. God created all of that so that ones' religion rises more, with all the children. Also the songs come from the Bible. What the Holy Bible says is what they sing about."
Interviewer: "And this music comes from the indigenous roots?"
Musician: "Yes, because the Indians from before have taught us and our parents to play the harp, the Marimba, violins and guitars. But we hardly use them and slowly lose that, but it's not that we lose that, we can learn what we study. But nowadays there's almost no harp or violin. We only use the guitar."
Interviewer: "Are there still any Mayan elements in the community or has it more less been mixed too much?"
Musician: "Right now it's rising, what the Mayans did before. There was a time that that stuff wasn't done. But now a lot of people are encouraging that, to rise up what the Mayans did before and by the grace of God now it's being done again and we hope to do what the Mayans did before."
This village is very remote, especially when compared to Guatemala City. What differences in the people and places do you notice between the rural and urban locations? What differences do you notice in the music? Is there a difference in the way the people are using the music? Explain. [The rural people, among other things, are using their music to maintain a connection to their heritage, or even expand it. The urban people, among other things, are using their music to discover and examine the challenges of reshaping their culture in the future.]

9. Canadian Aid
The Canadian Embassy supports the return to traditional Mayan values and way of life including organic farming, saving the ecosystem, deforestation and contaminants. Research the Canadian government's support of traditional Canadian values and way of life. How is the Canadian government encouraging organic farming in Canada? What is the Canadian government doing to save the Canadian ecosystem? What is the Canadian government doing to stop deforestation in Canada?

10. Making Meaning of Multi-media
Mayan woman: "The deforestation is hitting as very hard because the sun is too strong, there are no trees now. We're trying to make a mountain made of Caoba (a type of tree) to teach our neighbours how we should plant trees to protect the environment."
Interviewer: "Is the water contaminated?"
Mayan woman: "Yes. Because there are no trees the water becomes contaminated and our rivers dry out. We no longer see water in our rivers, only stones. The fish die, the crayfish, all things that are in the river are going to die if we don't learn to plant trees."

During this woman's speech, we see three images. The woman speaks in the top image, while shots of animals, landscapes, trees etc. are shown in the bottom two pictures. How do the pictures interact with the voice to help us make more sense of what we are hearing from the speaker?
There are three videos, one voice and one set of subtitles, all coming at viewers at once. How difficult is it for us to pay attention to and understand all this information? Watch this scene again, then question each other about the details to discover how much information you retain and how much information you lose. Do we take the meaning from one message (voice) more than the other (image), or does the meaning come from the combination of all the information? Discuss.

11. The Plights of Indigenous People
Lola Cadnal, National Mayan Movement: "The Mayan culture is a part of nature. I think both are very important for us because nature comes from our culture as well. It's something that should never be lost. Both should be combined."
Interviewer: "How has the war affected indigenous life?" Lola Cadnal: "The race that has been most affected is the indigenous race, more than any other, for not being able to communicate, for not having the right to speak, for not having those opportunities and because they don't recognize us. The indigenous race is the most affected because they take all that we have, they take our rights and we can't do anything. I see that it's a big problem but with several institutions that are trying to make things happen, I think that in the future everything will be equal. I hope."

Lola Cadnal tells us that the Mayan people have suffered most from Guatemala's civil war because the Mayans cannot communicate, are not listened to, and are not given equal opportunities. Canadian media have often focused on the civil strife created by the threat of Quebec separation. How has this conflict affected Canada's indigenous people? Have native Canadians in Quebec been listened to? Have native Canadians in Quebec been given opportunities and rights? Research to learn more about indigenous cultures in Quebec. What is their say on Quebec separation? How are they influencing political decisions? Are their voices being heard? Why? In what ways are the plights of Canada and Guatemala's indigenous peoples similar?

12. Summarizing
Write a report that summarizes the video's information on Guatemalan music. List the kinds of music, where they are played, and how the Guatemalan people are using the music.
You might supplement your report by researching Guatemalan music on the internet.

13. Compare the music and culture of Guatemala to that of Peru and Brazil.
Use the three MuchMusic videos on Guatemala, Peru and Brazil as a basis for your comparison and supplement your information with internet research.
You may choose to make your comparison strictly on a musical basis, but may also wish to discuss the culture and politics in each country. Be sure to highlight the similarities as well as the differences.

Written by: Neil Andersen
Neil Andersen is an award-winning Curriculum Consultant with the Toronto District School Board. He is also a speaker and consultant in media and communications technology. His most recent work includes the Between the Lines CDs, the teachers' study guide for the award-winning Scanning Television, and study guides for Space, Bravo! and MuchMusic's Cable in the Classroom broadcasts of original media literacy programming.

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