Entre Mujeres
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Entre Mujeres is a translocal music composition project between Chicanas/Latinas in the U.S. and Jarochas/Mexican female musicians in Mexico. This project seeks to make the voices, ideas and translocal dialogues between Chicanas and Jarochas visible through the medium of song.
A song as a sonic and literary manifestation is life’s sound-scape, a unique cathartic memento, as well as a powerful political tool. Without question a song is also an important historical text. A person’s testimonio (testimony), life views, triumphs, and struggles can be expressed into song lyrics. In the end a song, like a testimonio is what stands as moment lived. Multiplied by community this can be an active exercise in consensus and knowledge production. As a collaborator in various songwriting moments I have witnessed time and again how this method and process creates space, builds community, challenges multiple patriarchal systems, and can potentially produce knowledge that is accessible.
Throughout this project there has been convivencia, trust, testimonios that have generated important moments of healing, and knowledge production. In these ways Entre Mujeres Project is a testament to the kind of collective knowledge generated across U.S. Mexican borders.
Ultimately Entre Mujeres will be an accessible archive that can communicate important embodied knowledge theory through song across time, borders, generations and other ways of knowing.
What inspired Entre Mujeres?
Entre Mujeres is an extension of an informal network- Fandango sin Fronteras. Entre Mujeres is a special focus and commitment on remaining active in documenting the presence of women in music movements. Understanding this through my own experience as a new mother at the time, this project was an attempt to make visible the struggles and balance motherhood and music have on a woman’s life and how mechanical and social technologies could help document musical convivencia amongst women as well as assist in compositions between mujeres (women) across the U.S. Mexican border. Convivencia among the participants facilitated a trust that prompted discussions on music, love, mothering, politics, and overall life experience. Entre Mujeres captures these moments through song.
Who is involved?
Entre Mujeres was founded by Martha Gonzalez (Chicana Artivista/Quetzal) and Laura Marina Rebolloso (Son De Madera/Mother of Three). An important contributor and co-producer is Quetzal Flores (founder of Quetzal). A special thank you for logistical and emotional support also goes to Shirley Alvarado-del Aguila and Marco Loera!
This project however, would not be possible without the participation, talent and dedication of the following musicians during the Fulbright Garcia Robles Fellowship (2007-2008) in Mexico and in Los Angeles.
In Mexico: Laura Rebolloso-Cuellar, Kali Niño y Alec Dempster (Café con Pan), Wendy Cao Romero y Tacho Utrera (Los Utrera), Gisella Farias Luna y Gilberto Gutierrez (Mono Blanco), Annahi Hernandez (Son De Madera), Djael Vinaver, Karina Gutierrez-Rojo, Silvia Santos (Hikuri), Violeta Romero (Los Utrera), Rubi Osegura Rueda (Son De Madera), Raquel Vega (Los Vega/Caña Dulce Caña Brava), Aleph Castañeda (Son De Madera), and Cecelia.
In the United States: Rocio Marron, Dante Pascuzzo, Tylana Enomoto (Quetzal), Claudia Gonzalez-Tenorio (CAVA), La Marisoul y Gloria Estrada (La Santa Cecilia), Laura Cambron (Son Del Centro), Maya Jupiter, Shirley Alvarado-del Aguila, Carolina Sarmiento (Son Del Centro), Marissa Ronstadt (Monte Carlo 76/The Know it Alls) Xochi Flores (Cambalache), Angela Flores, Tiana Alvarez, y Hook Herrera.