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Latinoamérica is a song by Puerto Rican Alternative hip hop band Calle 13, released September 27, 2011, as the fifth single from their fourth studio album, Entren Los Que Quieran (2010). It was written and produced by Rafael Arcaute and Calle 13, and features additional vocals from other Latinoamerican recording artists; Peruvian Susana Baca, Colombian Totó la Momposina and Brazilian Maria Rita. The song won Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2011.[1] The song is important in that it touches on many underlying historical, social, and political themes present throughout Latin America. --Cegarrity (talk) 02:50, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

Background
Calle 13 is well known for their creation of music with strong themes and agendas, in particular music focused on social consciousness. The band has also released a documentary, Sin Mapa. Sin Mapa follows the evolution of Calle 13 as its two main members, stepbrothers Residente (René Pérez Joglar) and Visitante (Eduardo José Cabra Martínez), travel across Latin America. Sin Mapa presents many of the same issues highlighted in Latinoamérica. Latinoamérica’s reflection on historical, social, and political themes acts as a criticism of Western force and influence within Latin America, while at the same time asserting the collective strength of the Latin American oppressed. In addressing the shared history of Latin America, the band exposes the faults that are still a factor in present day Latin America. --Cegarrity (talk) 02:49, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

Message
Perhaps the heart of Latinoamérica’s message is the concept of Pan-Americanism. Popularized by Che Guevara, Pan- Americanism is in its essence an ideologically unified Latin America. Latinoamérica expands from the brother's native Puerto Rico to allude to a symbolic Pan-America connected through its hardships. This symbolic Pan- Americanism can be seen as plainly as in the decision to utilize Portuguese in the second refrain of the chorus, or in the decision to incorporate vocalists from a diversity of Latin American nations. The subjects more directly suggested through the lyrics include: Colonialism, Globalization, and Authoritarian Political Regimes. --Cegarrity (talk) 02:25, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

Authoritarian Political Regimes
"Las caras más bonitas que he conocido, Soy la fotografía de un desaparecido.” The most beautiful faces that I have seen, I am the photograph of a missing person.

During the course of Latin American history Authoritarian governments have at times created horrible scars on the histories of their countries. In order to instill fear or quiet opposition some governments put into effect reigns of terror, executing forced disappearances. Oftentimes governments refuse to acknowledge responsibility for forced disappearances- to this day there is still a tragic controversy as to how many people exactly were “disappeared.” Two of the better known cases of forced disappearances in Latin America are the disappearances that were enacted after the 1973 Chilean, and those enacted in the Argentine state- sponsored “Dirty War”  from 1976 until 1983. The survivors of the disappeared are living on with the weight of those they’ve lost, even actively protesting for the recognition of the disappeared- for example, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. --Cegarrity (talk) 02:30, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

"La Operación Cóndor invadiendo mi nido, Perdono pero nunca olvido, oye!" 'Operation Condor is invading my nest. I forgive but I'll never forget, listen!'

As “Operation Condor is invading my nest,” references more violence- the violence that ensued as a result of Operation Condor, “forgive but I'll never forget” mimics a common slogan used in protest of the governments seen with the blood of the disappeared on their hands.

"Este pueblo no se ahoga con marullos, Y si se derrumba yo lo reconstruyo... aquí estamos de pie. Que viva Latinoamérica.” These people are not drowned by big waves, and if they are pulled down I rebuild them... Here we are standing. Long live Latin America.

Although a significant percentage of the lyrics in Latinoamérica recall feelings of disheartenment, in lyrics such as these the song conveys an unavoidable spirit of resolution that the people of Latin America will no longer allow themselves to be oppressed- by authoritarian governments or any other form of repression. As a result, this collective resilience is arguably the point in Latinoamérica where the motif of Pan- Americanism most shines through. The big wave can be taken to represent the government (or dominant corporations that strive to control the public in order to gain money and power), the lyric underlines that the public will no longer be drowned by the clout of those in power. The sentiment of a people “rebuilding” themselves, standing up to those who seek to suffocate their ambitions, is an obvious affirmation. The idea of the common people of Latin America, el pueblo, rising over those in power is further evident in the grammar of the song. In Spanish there are multiple ways of saying “you.” “Usted” is the more respectful form of the word, and is the most accepted way of addressing people in command. The other form “tú” is more commonly used to address someone meriting an equal or lower level of respect than that of the speaker. The chorus of Latinoamérica addresses the government- or presumably a body in power- using the disrespectful form, “tú.” --Cegarrity (talk) 02:46, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

Music Video
The music video for Latinoamérica was filmed on March 23, 2011 (during 29 days) and was directed by Jorge Carmona and Milovan Radovic. In addition to the new footage shot throughout Latin America, the music video incorporates previously unused footage shot by the brothers from their pivotal trip captured in Sin Mapa. The video opens to a striking landscape of Peruvian mountains, as the silhouettes of Residente and Visitante are seen crossing the frame.

The stepbrothers make their way up dirt roads, to a radio station in the Peruvian mountains, where they are presented to a Quechua- speaking DJ. Their trip up the dirt roads holds potential symbolism. These dirt roads may very well be the same roads used by the runners of the Incan Empire. The runners were crucial in the communication between the geographically isolated divisions of the empire. Consequently, the roads in this video seem to embody a similar spread of knowledge.

As the video continues, additional symbolism becomes apparent. The start of the song’s instrumental music contains percussion reminiscent of the sound of heart beats. The audio image of heartbeats is then synchronized to a large visual image of a beating heart. The precedence given to the image of the heart conveys in alternative forms the key element of Pan- American unity, of figurative shared blood- among Latin Americans, maintained lyrically in the song. Symbolic solidarity is again clear in portraits of disparate Latin American people all performing the same action of assessing their reflections in mirrors. This too represents oneness because despite the fact that the staged individuals have different backgrounds, their actions are unanimous. Not only do these individuals unanimously affirm their identities in the mirror, they moreover all wash their faces in unison.

The use of water connects the two paramount themes of unity and knowledge. As discussed with the use of mirrors, the collective action of face washing emulates a collective people. Further, in literature as far back as the Bible, water has frequently connoted purity and enlightenment. One might theorize that the purity the use of water symbolically exhibits is the purity of emancipation from the will of corrupt governments. One might also theorize that water as enlightenment is feasibly the self enlightenment within the common people of their own inherent power.

In the remainder of Latinoamérica’s music video there is a wide variety of interesting symbols that play off the song’s lyrics. Nevertheless, for the most part these symbols ultimately tie back to the themes of unity and knowledge. The video leaves the viewer under the impression of the Latin American people as a people growing together in order to take steps forward in reclaiming their power as a people --Cegarrity (talk) 03:08, 8 December 2011 (UTC)