The Humanities Institute of Scripps College hosted its final event of the spring semester ‘Fandango Por La Humanidad’ along with the Jarochicanos. Together, -community members, faculty, students, and musicians- we danced, moved to the rhythm of the sones, and became connected through the music.
Jarochicanos
The Jarochicanos are a collective of educators, artists, and organizers who strive to preserve the Afro-Indigenous musical practice of Son Jarocho music that originated in southern Veracruz, Mexico. The collective was formed in 2008 “as a youth workshop with the desire to learn the musical tradition” of Son Jarocho.
Now years later, Jarochicanos continues to host talleres (workshops) that provide the community of Chicago, Illinois with the opportunity to learn about musical and cultural practices of Latin America.
The Jarochicanos are also present in the community at “local marches, protests,[and] fundraisers” where they play Son Jarocho songs as a form of support and spirit lifting.
One of the main ways Jarochicanos ensure the “survival of musica de jarana” is through fandangos or huapangos, a community celebration of Son Jorocho music. At these fandangos “musicians of all ages” come together to play the traditional sones (songs) and dance on the tarima (wooden platform).
The collective also founded the non-profit 18th Street Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) to provide a space where the Mexicano-Latine community of Chicago can learn from ancestral conocimiento (knowledge). The Casa de Cultura offers a variety of programming ranging from pre-colonial dance and music, literature discourses, family events, art classes, and even support for educators.
The De Raiz program focuses on music and dance traditions from pre and post colonial Latin America. The ArteSana classes are art workshops that follow traditional Latin American art methodologies. There is also programming that caters to family and children called Son Chiquitos (They are little ones) and provides them with the opportunity “[explore] their cultural identity and roots.”
Additionally, the non-profit hosts community events that focus on creative literary expression and social discourse through La Palabra (The Word) programming. Casa de Cultura even has an Indigenous Language Academy that offers introductory courses to indigenous languages of the Americas.
Teachings on collective holistic healing are also provided to the community through the Ilumina (illuminate) programming. The in-house gallery known as the Galeria Del Pueblo is how the Casa de Cultura brings in art from local and visiting artists.
While exploring all of Casa de Cultura’s offerings, I read about the MECA programming which offers coaching and professional development for educators. MECA stands for (Movimiento para la Educación Cultural y Autónoma) or Movement for Cultural and Autonomous Education.
Through a curriculum that integrates language, art, and music these educators are taught how to make a “community’s culture the focal point for holistic development of children and youth of color.” Not only is Casa de Cultura a place where the Latine community in Chicago can celebrate their ancestral roots through art, music, dance, language and literature but it is also an important resource for those in the education system who want to make learning a safer space for students of color.
Educators are able to learn from Casa de Cultura and implement ways of teaching that better serve Latine students and also highlight their culture.
Fandango In Claremont
At the Claremont Colleges, students have been introduced to Son Jarocho music and fandango through the popular course Fandango as a Decolonial Tool. The class was taught by Professor Martha Gonzalez who was also the director of the Scripps College Humanities Center and its Propagating Culture program of this semester.
The course focused on “progressively [deconstruct] how” music is understood and “the role that social institutions have played in [the] conceptions of music and dance in society.”
The readings, discussions, and hands-on learning with instruments exposed the students of the Claremont Colleges to fandango and its everlasting impact in our world. The students in this course were able to perform alongside Jarochicanos both in class and at the event allowing them to be in community with fellow musicians whose goals are to preserve Son Jarocho music and fandango.
When the time came for course selection, I constantly heard my peers talking about the Fandango course and how amazing their experience in it had been. I for one am looking forward to taking the class and I’ve heard that so many other students are interested in it too.
When I heard students talking about this class, I could see how inspired they were. One of the great things about this course, and similar ones, is the space it dedicates to Afro-indigenous knowledge and allows students to analyze how this knowledge is passed down and survives even amidst efforts of colonization.
El Evento
The Fandango Para Humanidad event took place May 1st in the Margaret Fowler Garden at Scripps College. This gathering was the final event of the Humanities Institute of Scripps’ Propagating Culture programming for the 2024 spring semester.
Professor Martha Gonzales, instructor for the Fandango as a De-Colonial Tool and director of the Humanities Institute, began the event by introducing the Jarochicanos and the Afro-Indigenous musical practice that the audience would be seeing performed. Gathered to hear Son Jarocho songs and participate in the fandango were Claremont community members, students, professors, and friends.
Before beginning the fandango, the Jarochicanos also spoke about their involvement in the Chicago community and how excited they were to be in Claremont sharing the tradition with us. The Jarochicanos had begun playing together as youth in workshops and had now been working together for sixteen years.
Maya Zazhil Fernandez, one of the members of Jarochicanos and a co-founder of 18th Street Casa de Cultura, introduced the group saying that it was “a gift and excitement to travel and connect with others and be in community by sharing music.”
Maya continued saying, “dicen que la music te junta con personas de otras partes del mundo” (they say that music introduces and joins you with people from all over the world).
When I heard Maya say this, I took a moment to look around me and truly take in the presence of everyone who had gathered because of their love of music and tradition.
The saying was true, in the Margaret Fowler Garden there were people from all walks of life and backgrounds and we had come together through Fandango and Son Jarocho.
The Jarochicanos explained that the sones contain teachings or encompass the experiences of life. The musical practice and knowledge of Son Jarocho has existed for centuries and it also aligns with spiritual practices.
As I sat joyfully listening to the music I looked around and decided to try to take it all in. Even though I wasn’t dancing, I was being moved by the music and the joy that surrounded me as I saw professors, community members, and fellow peers have fun.
The event very much reminded me of Latine parties or family events I’ve attended because so much was taking place all at once. There were people eating food and pan dulce, the Jarochicanos singing, people sitting down admiring the event, others dancing on the tarima, people singing or humming or just swaying back and forth.
Professor Gonzales also spoke about the course Fandango as a De-Colonial Tool because it is a participatory practice created by and with the community. Colonization has led to monetary profit controlling several, if not all, aspects of our lives. Fandango however, is not a transaction but instead is a practice that focuses on creating music collaboratively and not for profit. The community comes together to enjoy each other’s presence and everyone participates instead of there being only singers, dancers, and then an audience.
What surprised me the most was how many people, especially students, went up to the tarima and danced together. They would stomp their feet to the rhythm of the sones, paying attention to each other’s movements, and then they’d dance in unison following each other’s lead.When one of the sones said “vuela, vuela” (fly, fly) those dancing on the tarima began to move their arms like wings. In the tarima while dancing the people linked arms, almost like hugging while dancing.
Everyone participating added a part of their creativity to the dancing, the stomping, and the singing. Hasta había personas que expresaban su alegría con un grito mexicano (There were even people who expressed their joy by shouting).
The students in the Fandango as a De-Colonial Tool class learned how to play the sones and were able to perform with the Jarochicanos. Together they sang and played in unison. There was also an altar created for Palestine and both the fandango class and Jarochicanos dedicated a song to them. During the event we took a moment to think about those facing violence and harsh conditions in Palestine.
The title of the event, Fandango por la Humanidad (Fandango for Humanity) expresses just how the arts and music can be used to stand up for justice and unity across the world. There we were in Claremont, California among students and faculty from various backgrounds with the Jarochicanos who traveled from Chicago singing for the liberation of Palestine. The Fandango community not only exists internationally but it is a tool that can unite us in the fight for peace and justice.
Ilse Salas Castro | Immigration CorrespondentIlse Salas Castro is a Freshman at Pomona College studying Chicane / Latine Studies and History. In her role as an Immigration Writer for Latina Republic this spring, she aims to share the stories of immigrants in the Latine community residing in the states of California and Louisiana. Ilse will highlight the resistance of this community in Louisiana and its continual growth against all odds, legal challenges, and racial tensions placed upon them. Through the sharing of these stories, Ilse hopes to raise awareness and address the impact a state’s actions on immigration directly affect the lifestyle, wellbeing, and availability of opportunities for the immigrant community.
Ilse has recently begun to delve deeper into her own family’s immigration stories and made efforts to preserve the memories and experiences of her own grandfather about his time in the United States. She hopes to do the same with other generational immigration stories of other Latine elders.