The fourth song in Rebecca Lane’s new album is called ᲐWhat does not mean. A slogan that has been chanted for several years about feminist demonstrations talking about consent and sexual violence. “Men say they’re confused now that they’re just flirting, it ‘s just seduction,” sings the Guatemalan rapper and sociologist.
There are macho concepts that seem to have progressed but are still ingrained and that is one of the main ones. Controversy Flow Khokas and his joke from the disco about “stoning girls”. Even Lane, who only travels to Spain to present Flourish, His second album learned about the announcements.
“It would be smart if you could force a girl to sincerely take care of you without taking any medication,” he replies. Rebecca arrives with her daughter Valentina on her lap, who is breastfeeding, and conducts the interview without losing the thread. “That’s why culture is important. Because if people do not change their mentality or respect the wishes of others, the law is a dead letter,” he said. Many of his poems deal with male violence, sexual harassment and empowerment for this very reason. “This is what allows us to bring normalization to the social level from abuse.”
ᲐWhat does not mean “It’s a song to tell men just yes yes, but also to reaffirm girls who feel vulnerable. Many times we do not say no because the situation does not allow us to, but neither do we say yes. And if we do not say yes willingly and willingly, it is not, consent is something that seems to be talked about a lot, but then we have such cases. “
Flourish It would be a different album, part of a sociological survey and sharing experiences with other Guatemalan women. But came the pandemic, social distance, pregnancy, and little Valentina six months ago. “I did it thinking about girls and young people who ten years later will listen to her and lovingly convey all these messages to them. But, above all, I did it with her (her daughter) in mind,” she explains. Are songs dedicated to menstruation (Red flowers), For your own pleasure (Give me love), Femicides (We want each other alive) And elected and consensual maternity (I chose you). All of them will be performed on April 28 at the Cadavra Room in Madrid.
There is rape every 46 minutes in Guatemala and Latin America is one of the worst rates of femicide, so this album is an act of brave activism there. “Anyway, look, I was more afraid that my son was a boy,” he admits. “I used to want a future where violence against women does not escape all girls and women, but now I have Valentina as the main character. The future has a specific face and it’s a mission,” the singer explains.
I chose you This is a song about social pressure on women. She has been a mother for 36 years and has been distinguished for a long time because of this decision. On the other side of the coin, the opposite and even more horrific case: the case of the girl mothers. “The first few weeks you do not sleep, the baby is very demanding, the breasts hurt, the caesarean section hurts, you constantly have hormones going up and down. It is a very vulnerable period. “These are all real cases, not exaggerations,” said a nine-year-old girl who was raped by her brother and forced to give birth in Costa Rica.
“My wish is for all maternity hospitals to be chosen. No woman should be forced to give birth so that all women have the conditions to do so,” she said. It refers to the fact that after giving birth she received excessive messages of maternal instincts from other women. “In the photo you can not see the hours of insomnia or pain in the torso. I also wanted to reflect that in the song. Everything looks very nice on the internet, but in real life it is a tiring job.”
Rebecca Lane is one of the most active and powerful voices in America defending feminism, the LGTBI community or historical memory. At first he did this from social organizations and activism, but later decided to work from a more “safe” place. “Companies were kidnapped, they were listening to our phones and the military told us at every demonstration that they knew who we were and were going to kill us. I felt the death threat on my neck,” he said.
He decided to start with rap, the genre Underground And with a very macho atmosphere. But then the anthems are like that Free, bold and crazyOr Not less than one, Which made it a landmark in the Guatemalan genre. “There are a lot of networks involved in this type of scenario, and it is very difficult and violent,” he admits. In Flourish, Rap and hip hop are not so relevant. He allowed himself to open up to other melodic genres, but did not abandon reggaeton, cumbia, and party or committed messages. “Before I chose music for demonstrations and there are times when my songs are played now and it’s a great gift,” he thanks.
He claims that reggaeton hatred or bringing it to the label hides a “racist vision”. “These are rhythms that originate from the African diaspora and start in groups of people who are deprived of territory and language. It is seen as low-class and with a lot of racism. It happens in Guatemala. It also happens in Cambodia,” he said.
When it comes to criticizing women for degrading messages, there are alternatives and Rebecca Lane is one of them. “My mother put us on a station that was pure merengue, salsa and kumbia, and we danced all afternoon. I very much demand the right to enjoy because I grew up with a Christian education and they taught me that the body is the source. From sin,” he recalls.
However, he advocates “returning to these rhythms with great respect, because, of course, now that it ‘s much more commercial, I think there are a lot of artists coming up. When it comes to cultural appropriation, he wants to show what they have. It’s not, ”the critique. You need to remember your roots and have a history. “Memory,” he concludes.
Source: El Diario
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