wait...
wait...
one moment...ok...
The beautiful faces...
"The beautiful faces
of my Black people
are a
parade of molasses in bloom.
Such that when they
pass in front of me, the entire
heart becomes happy from their
Blackness.
The beautiful faces
of my Black
race
has grief,
has shame,
and pain. These
are the truths
that life challenges...
but they also carry within
a lot of love.
We are
the molasses
that laughs,
the molasses that cries.
We are the molasses that
loves, and
each kiss
is moving.
For this reason
I live proud
of its color.
We are a nice bitumen (a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally from the earth)
of clear
poetry.
It has its rhythm,
it has its melody,
the beautiful faces
of my
Black people"...
But come here,
this dude / guy,
you wait there! These lyrics...
This Black man
has lyrics!
Listen, if a Black man approaches me
talking like this,
I will die!
I will die!
Ok!
I am going crazy...
These "faces"...
Oh my Lord
these "beautiful faces"...
please...
profound!
profound poetry.
Tin tin tin tan tan tan (my own silly talk)
ta ta ta ti ti ti
wait...
continue...
man...
hmphh...
I'm sorry, it's that this
makes me very emotional...
Reading this...
because, every now and then...
Look...I always listen to this...
I listen to this
with music, you understand me?
So, the
music can distract you
a little, not so?
But when one puts them self...
...quiet / calm...
No?
When they put themselves real
tranquil...
and one reads these lyrics
without music...
It touches the heart
in a different way.
Well, let's continue...
"I tell you, that in
Portobelo, Panama,
I saw
the most beautiful
and pure face...
And it is for this reason
that my heart
becomes happy
from His Blackness...
It's as such,
that it
is beautiful"...
I don't know...but if you all know
of the history of Ismael Rivera,
you already know
that this
is profound...
Forget about it!
This is profound!
Oh my gosh...
"I tell you,
that in Portobelo,
Panama,
I saw the face
that is the most beautiful and pure,
and it's because of this
that my heart
becomes happy
from His Blackness"...
You all know
of whom he's talking about?
He's talking about
the face of the Jesus Christ...
The Black Jesus Christ, in Portobello,
Panama. So that you know!
Yes, tonight
we are going to put things very
clearly! Ok!
We are going to put
things very clearly...
No, he's not talking about
a white face of
Jesus Christ...
a face with blue eyes...
with blonde hair...
No, no, no...
He's talking about the face
of Jesus Christ
that is Black....
Ok...
Which is in Portobelo...
The Black Christ..
Oh my gosh (Spanglish accent)...
He is so
full of this...of this
LOVE
for the Black Nazarene.
"That his heart becomes
joyful
from His Blackness"...
But wow...
how marvelous!
"How beau, how beau
how beautiful they are...
Blackness from the pure...
how beau, how beau, how
beautiful they are"...
And it continues as such...
Oh my gosh...
ahh...
For me it is
a privilege to talk
about Ismael
Rivera...
ok...
Yes tonight we are going to put things
very clearly...
Ok...
we are going to put things
correct.
ok...
It's time...It's time to give
the respect
to those who deserve it.
And,
why Ismael Rivera??
Well, because he is a great / grand figure
in Black history and
Black history
is SUPER
GRAND / BIG! OK? It's very
big, and
it includes many members
of
Latin America. But no one is
mentioning them...And they have
done many
things to improve
the state
of us in this world.
And
I am of the opinion that in
the Latino/a/x community
figures of African descent
do not receive
the value / valor
they deserve. They don't receive the attention
that they deserve.
And what's happening is
there's a generation that doesn't know...
of their culture! And you can't tell me that
you know of your culture (Latino/a/x culture),
if you don't even know a little bit of Black culture...
of African culture...OK!
And yes, I'm very...
how do I tell you? I'm very
serious in terms
of this...it's something
very important and I don't want to pretend
that it's not important when it is.
And well, if I ask
the average Latino
"Who is...
Martin Luther King?"
They might know...
OK...if I ask this to
the average African-American
from the United States, yes they will know.
Malcolm X...maybe
They should know...but maybe not.
Umm... Harriet Tubman?
I believe they will know.
But if I ask the average Latino,
"Who is...
Pedro Albizu Campos?"
Silence...
Ok...ok... "Who is...
Roberto Clemente?"
Ok, Ok, well, let's continue with another one...
"Who is...Antonio Maceo?"
Ok...ok...ok..ok...
"Who is Arturo / Arthur Schomburg?"
Please!
Oh my Lord!
And...well, this...I want to
eradicate this... And so
the least I can do
is make videos of Black History
that are more inclusive.
Um well,
hello & blessings to every one.
Today, I want to obviously talk about
of a figure of Black History
who is named Ismael Rivera.
And, well, there are many that talk about
Black history as though it's something that
only pertains to people of African descent
from the United States. But the truth is
that Black History is
prevalent throughout the entire world...
And especially in Latin America.
Well, Ismael Rivera,
also known as: "Maelo",
"Maelito", "El Sonero Mayor"...
He was born the 5th of October
1931.
And, if I'm not mistaken, the 5th of October
is
"Ismael Rivera Day"
in Puerto Rico.
it's a national holiday in Puerto Rico
And well, Ismael was born
in a neighborhood of San Juan,
Puerto Rico, that is called "Santurce".
And he was the first,...I believe the first
of 5 kids from
Luis & Margarita Rivera.
Who is it?
Kiki? (my twin sister)
Open!
Open it!
I'm sorry...
Well, let's continue. I apologize. And...ummm...
Well,
Ismael, following in the footsteps of his father,
he studied the profession of
carpentry.
"Tell me" (talking to my twin Kiki)
Kiki: "Are you recording?" Me: "Yes"
Kiki: "I just wanted to tell you something...but..."
Me: "Tell me"
Kiki: "Well, no...
You're recording now?" Me: "Yes"
Kiki: "Well, it's fine...I can wait" Me: Ok, that's fine
I'm sorry...so
Ismael, he wanted to follow in the steps of his father.
And he studied
the profession of carpentry,
and during his carpentry studies he also
worked as a shoe shiner so he could
be able to contribute
economically to his family and loved ones.
Pause! I want to do a little pause here.
Are ya'll listening?
With only 15 or 16
years of age,
he was working as a shoe shiner
to contribute
economically to his family.
Wow
How sweet...
He's already demonstrating values
that are very strong. With just 16 years.
And generally, the biological stage
of adolescence is usually one of
selfishness.
But he's already making
sacrifices
for the well-being of his parents and younger brothers.
Um, what else?
And there was another kid, very cute
and very Black (Black is BEAUTIFUL!)
he was...
well he grew up at the side of Ismael
And his name is Rafael Cortijo
And he was one of the best friends
of Ismael. And the two were
always (this is what they say)
the two were always on a corner
singing, making noise,
making music, with cans,
sticks, whatever there was!
And well, with only 17
years of age...Rivera,
along with his best friend Rafael Cortijo
formed the group
El Conjunto Monterrey. And look,
pay attention to that I'm not only
telling Black History,
telling Latino/a/x History...
I'm telling you all
a tid bit, a little piece
of Salsa's history.
Which during this era
was the most rich,
oh my Lord...super rich!
Super beautiful!
BEAUTIFUL.
Sweet. Very rich.
Ok, let's continue.
Yes, so he joined with this group El Conjunto Monterrey.
And I think Rivera was playing the Congas.
Because he was a musician as well.
Not only a singer.
He was a musician, singer,
and also a composer.
MmmK? So that you know!
And Cortijo, he played
the Bongos and
in 1952
Ismael joined
the United States Army
but he was discharged
because his English wasn't
really good.
And well, some of you are probably
asking, "Why is a Puerto Rican
fighting in a USA / North American war?
I don't understand...?"
Well, this is really a
another video
because it's a theme
that's very complex...
But the short of the long is that Puerto Rico
is really
almost a colonized country
by the United States.
I don't want to offend anyone...but
I say it how I see it, OK...and
technically,
it's called a
"Freely Associated State"
But the history of the
USA and Puerto Rico
is very complex and full of
injustice.
Full of injustice, and also full of beautiful things.
So I don't want to say it's a
"black and white" issue, because it's not.
But
the United States is...
The United States
is the party
that's benefiting more...
In my opinion...
um...
It's like that. But...
Yes, there are many Puerto Ricans
who have sacrificed their lives
for the United States, and
it's very sad to see
how the United States is directing
this crisis in Puerto Rico.
How the United States government
is
wow
they are making
a SCANDAL!
PLEASE! What's happening
is a scandal.
And it's not just...
The manner in which the US government
is directing this crisis
in Puerto Rico with the Hurricane Maria
is not just / righteous
for nothing...for nothing!
And thanks be to God that Ismael is not alive
to see...to see
this grave injustice against
the Puerto Rican people.
And, well, I want to give a "shot out"
to this Mayor
of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who is named
Carmen Yulín Cruz.
This woman! I see her as a diamond.
She is a tremendous woman...
Fighter for her people...
She was looking for her people
in the water
that came up to
her neck!
This woman
is NOT playing!
When it comes to her people
she is not playing.
I see a fighter,
a warrior, so sweet,
so elegant, and so beautiful in her.
And wow, for me, she
exemplifies a true
public servant...
What it truly is to do public service.
What it means to "serve"
the public...Do you understand me? To serve humanity.
But well, I'm sorry for this,
I get really passionate. But let's continue
with the history of Ismaelito.
In 1955
Ismael joined
Rafael Cortijo's group that was called
"Cortijo y su Combo".
And this group was very successful.
And it lasted until
1962.
Because I think they were all returning from a show
in Venezuela, and Ismaelito
was detained
for the alleged possession of drugs. (Marijuana was still illegal)
Supposedly, many of the other band members
also had drugs, but Maelito
accepted the blame for everyone.
Unfortunately he received 4 years
in prison for this. And this is
very "heavy", you understand me.
And this was very difficult
for the children of Ismael,
for his wife, his family
the loved ones of his family.
But well, eventually he left
the prison
and he continued with his art, with his success.
Because look, what God has for you,
you will have it...and no
barrier,
and no type of challenge
can
stop you from receiving
what God has for you.
I believe in this. And I believe that
Ismael
exemplifies this.
Because to spend 4 years in prison
didn't stop
the success and the
light that he was going to shine for all of us.
Well, so...
Like I said to you,
he continued with his success and during
one of his trips to Panama in ...
1975
Ismael visited a sacred
place for many people,
that is called "The Black Christ of Portobelo"...
Also known as, "El Nazareno / The Nazarene"
And this is a very sacred terrain for many
Christians, Panamanians,
Blacks / African descent mixed people
that make a
pilgrimage every year during the
Festival of the Black Christ.
Especially the 21st day
of October. So...
it's a pilgrimage.
Do ya'll know what that is? A "pilgrimage" is
like a "pilgrimage"...
Pilgrimages used to be
more common in
ancient times.
But now days
we are losing a lot of
our customs from ancient times...
ANCIENT...ancient ancient times.
But...
anyways...so...
There are many people who actually walk
from Panama City
to Portobelo...which is a journey
of around 50+ miles.
And some people
actually
do this journey / trip
crawling on their knees.
Imagine that! Wow.
And supposedly,
Ismael had a vice with drugs.
And,
when he went to the Black Christ of Portobelo
and prayed for HELP
with this (vice),
the Black Christ cured him.
He cured him.
And from this day, until his death
years later
Ismael never returned to using
drugs.
He was a disciple
very very loyal...
Such that each year he went to make
this journey to visit
the Black Christ and pray.
And well, I want to emphasize that I'm
not sure if he truly had a problem
with drugs, but the information that
I have from my research
says that yes he did have one
prior to visiting The Nazarene;
and after, he didn't have
this vice anymore.
And well, nevertheless, I also want to say
that one should NOT have
shame for having battled against addiction.
My own father
is a RECOVERING addict...
in recovery...in RECOVERY (clean and sober for YEARS!)
And I don't
have any shame in saying this. My father is one of
the most beautiful men
that I have the privilege of knowing.
And his fight against addiction
has obliged me to grow my heart
in a way that I really can't
describe. And due to the grace of God
my dad already
has more than 3 years clean and sober (actually 4).
And, well he also
is the man that
presented me
to all of the greatest Salseros
like Ismael Rivera,
like La Lupe (Cuba), like Willie Colon (Puerto Rico),
like Joey Arroyo (Colombia), like Celia Cruz (Cuba), etc, etc...
So, but, I say all of this because
I know that Ismael has a
great family,
large and loved, and fans
who are also loved, who hold
his memory very dearly...
And I don't want to disrespect his
name.
What???
OMG
My telephone is talking.
And, well, I don't want to disrespect
anybody. And...
Well, out of respect for them,
pardon me if I presented
any information
about Ismael that is not true.
And, well...
Ismael died the 13th
of May,
in the year 1987.
And, this
for me is a very sad day, but
fortunately,
he had the privilege
of dying in the arms of his mother.
And, well, he
died of a cardiac arrest,
a heart attack...
And he was only 50 something
years of age when he died. And...
well, I honestly don't know why
he died so young.
Possibly...
I know that his best friend, Rafael Cortijo,
had died some years
before he himself died.
So he experienced
the loss / death of his best
friend Rafael Cortijo
and some say that Ismael was very sad
about the loss of Cortijo...
I don't know...but...
well...
Obviously I
never had the opportunity to meet Ismael
personally.
But, I feel like I knew him
through his music... His music, and his life story.
means so much to me...
And it's for this reason that I wanted to dedicate
a video that tries to capture a little bit
of...
of...
I don't know...of what he was...
Well, when I think about
the state of music today
I sometimes feel like
I was born in the wrong era.
Don't misinterpret me...
It's not that I don't like the music of today...
I like modern music
you know. But when I
hear the music of
that era,
I don't know...
something about this era
of Classical Salsa moves me
in a spiritual way
And in terms of Black History,
it also serves to motivate me and move me.
Usually, people think
of singers like James Brown,
because he made the
iconic song that's called,
"Say it Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud".
And this is a tremendous song! Super good!
You know, "Say it loud!
I'm Black and I'm proud!"
It's super good! But, I'd like to
encourage us to also think
of the greats like Ismael
Rivera. Like...
look, Rivera sang
one of the greatest hymns dedicated to
the Black "race", entitled
"The Beautiful Face of my Black People"
This song was written by another great Puerto Rican
of African descent
named Tite Curet Alonso.
This was his poetry that I was reading
at the beginning of this video.
And please, if a Black man approaches me
saying to me things like this
"The Beautiful Faces of My Black People",
please, mijo, "I am coming with you!" (classic salsa song by Johnny Pacheco from Dominican Republic)
This is like "wow".
And...
I don't know...and...
well I think there are
some musicians today who
are making really beautiful music
that inspires Black people...
but...
That era...no
There will never be
another like that one.
And well,
um...
Another thing Ismael did in his life
is that he also helped
to establish a museum.
A museum that is called, "The Museum
of our African Roots"
in Puerto Rico. And
he did this,
and...well,
unfortunately
this museum was shutdown
due to a lack of sufficient funds from the
Puerto Rican government
around 2012. And well,
this is very sad for me
because we need to express to the members
of the government that the preservation
of African culture
is important
for us, for the whole world.
And as people who have benefited
so much from African culture,
the least we can do is
defend the protection
and preservation of African culture.
And, well, persons such as Ismael
dedicated their entire lives
to bring us happiness
through music...
And the least we can do is honor his legacy.
Well, to conclude...
I don't know...I hope that
I was able to illuminate
or inspire
someone
with a dose of Black History that is more inclusive of
the entire African Diaspora,
and the entire American Diaspora,
because pay attention that
the United States is NOT the only
country of the Americas.
And well...God willing
you all have benefited
a little from this history
of Ismael Rivera. And
look on YouTube for his songs.
Listen to his very beautiful lyrics,
open your heart, open your mind
and allow the lyrics
to cure you or help you.
OK...Well, blessings.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét