In this week's episode...
Omaggio a Victor Jara
Marking 53 years since his assassination, we pay homage to the life and work of Victor Jara, legendary Chilean singer-songwriter, educator, playwright and political activist. One of Chile's greatest artists, Victor Jara was arrested following the coup and murdered by Pinochet's fascist forces on 16 September 1973 in Santiago Stadium, the site where many thousands were imprisoned, tortured and killed.
In the words of the Italian musical collective Il Collettivo Victor Jara:
'Victor Jara suonava e cantava per il popolo cileno contro i padroni; usava la cultura come arma proletaria, non come un lusso per la gente per bene, per quelli che credono di essere neutrali.'
'Victor Jara played and sang for the Chilean people against the bosses. He used culture as a proletarian weapon, not as a luxury for the respectable who believe themselves to be neutral.'
Chile '73 and the Italian Left
We discuss the profound and immediate impact of Pinochet's coup on Italian politics and culture, particularly the responses of the Italian Left. The coup led the Communist Party Secretary Enrico Berlinguer to propose the theory of the 'Historical Compromise', a political stance that left its mark on the Italian Left for decades, and right up to the present.
At the grassroots level demonstrations and solidarity initiatives were led by left-wing organisations, trade unions, the student movement, cultural associations and artists, which continued unabated for years.
One remarkable example being the play by Dario Fo and Franca Rame's Collettivo Teatrale La Comune, titled Guerra di Popolo in Cile, produced and performed within one month of the coup. You can listen to the album version of the play here and an interview with Dario Fo and Franca Rame about it here.
Neoliberalism and the Left Case Against the EU
Tobia discusses and reads some excerpts from a book he's been reading, The Left Case Against the EU by Costas Lapavitsas. The discussion touches on the impact of the neoliberal policies of the EU and the conditions it has created for the rise of the far right, with parallels drawn to Australia.
Mililma May on the NT Government's Assault on First Nations Lives
We listen to friend and comrade of the show Mililma May's report on the Northern Territory government's attacks on First Nations people, climate, and the whole NT community. We hear about the NT's recently enacted child removal law, policing and surveillance of First Nations communities, increased fracking and secret deals for data centres.
Music
Victor Jara - Vientos del Pueblo
FILEF Naarm - Melbourne
