MUSICIANS
Authors: Jofre Bardagi, Clara Fleck
Members of Los Hijos del Sol (Children of the Sun):
Luis Perez: First voice, bombo legüero drum, and percussion accessories.
Daniel Santillan: First guitar, charango guitar, and vocals.
Gustavo Moya: Second guitar and vocals.
Fernando Soria: Quena flute, sikus flute, charango guitar, bass, and vocals.
LOS HIJOS DEL SOL (CHILDREN OF THE SUN)
LAS PALABRAS NO DAN MIEDO (DON’T FEAR WORDS)
LYRICS: LAS PALABRAS NO DAN MIEDO (“Don’t Fear Words”)
JOFRE BARDAGÍ & CLARA V. FLECK
Words that you’re still afraid to say
Words that drive you away from this place
Words that answer questions you won’t ask
Words that disappear and silence you
Your silence is almost darkness
the light is behind you
Don’t fear words
What you fear is speaking
while honesty is difficult, nothing can change the truth
Don’t fear words
It’s the instant before you speak
Don’t look back, don’t blame yourself
it’s much better to fight and move forward
Don’t keep wasting time, don’t wait for a sign
you know it’s your moment, defeat your rival
Start by taking one more step
And leave everything behind
Don’t fear words
What you fear is speaking
while honesty is difficult, nothing can change the truth
Words are a medium
You can use against your fears
Believe in yourself, don’t get in your own way
Let your voice be your home
Don’t fear words
What you fear is speaking
As soon as you understand this, nothing will silence you
nothing will stop you
everything changes as soon as you start.
COORDINATING INSTITUTIONS
COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS
“What are we talking about when we talk about Chagas?” Group, Argentina; Outpatient Clinic for Chagas Disease and Heart Failure, PROCAPE, Federal University of Pernambuco (UPE), Brazil; Leo Messi Foundation; International Federation of Associations of People Affected by Chagas Disease (FINDECHAGAS); Chagas Disease Control Program at the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHY LOS HIJOS DEL SOL (INTIHUA)?
In the north of Argentina (Añatuya, Santiago del Estero, Chaco Americano), out of all the infectious diseases that are treated, Chagas is the biggest problem. This geographic area has one of the highest rates of vector transmission and prevalence in pregnant women in the country, which means that Chagas is still in the transmission phase.
In 2015, we happened to hear the Hijos del Sol and it occurred to us that they genuinely represented the spirit of their people. They could use their art to create dialogue with their people’s vast expanses of land, their culture, their traditions, the infernal heat, their unending workdays, and their humble homes.
With their voices they could express the characteristic silence of their citizens, with their drums the beat of their hearts, with their quena flutes the sorrows of life, with their siku flutes their joys. With their charango guitars they could pay homage to their family members who were forced to migrate, and with their guitars they could put music to their hopes for a better future.
In short, Los Hijos del Sol represent a part of the country that is highly affected by Chagas. As talented hometown musicians, their music has the potential to reach the heart and soul of their people, the true mission of the BeatChagas group.
HOW DID LOS HIJOS DEL SOL BEGIN?
The group Folklórico del Altiplano was formed in 1988 in the city of Añatuya, Santiago del Estero province, Argentina. Their founder was Antonio Molina, a native of Buenos Aires who settled in Añatuya to open a dry cleaners. Molina was not only a musician, but also an artisan and luthier. He taught young people to play the charango guitar, the quena flute, and the siku flute. His first students were Daniel and Fernando. They would meet during the late afternoon, when the sun and temperatures began to fall, to play instruments in the shade of a tree. Molina encouraged them to start a group and since they needed singers, they invited Luís and Gustavo. Up until that point, Luís had been in a band that played pop music. He and Gustavo accepted the invitation and, under the direction of Antonio, they began to study and play music from the high plateau and from northern folklore.
Someone heard them one day while they rehearsed, enjoyed what they played, and invited the group to play at a show organized by a club in the city. To everyone’s surprise, they shared the stage that night with famous musicians such as Jacinto Piedra and Peteco Carabajal. They performed spectacularly and were the stars of the show! They changed the name of the group to both Los Hijos del Sol and Intihua, which means “children of the sun” in Quechua (Quechua is a family of languages in the central Andes mountains that are spoken in six countries in the western part of South America).
Since then, the group has played in different parts of Argentina and has recorded four albums. Through the songwriting and performance process, the members of the group have developed strong bonds of friendship that still endure today.
