Abstract
This article examines the function of music for female political prisoners during the Pinochet Dictatorship in Chile. The discussion draws on a thematic analysis of testimonies about music by female prisoners from the platform Cantos Cautivos (“Captive Songs”). The article discusses musical happenings, genres of music being performed (e.g., Nueva Canción), and the ways in which music-making was organised. In particular, the article highlights the importance of communal singing. This article also addresses cultural and collective memory and the role that they play in these recollections.
 
Highlights
This article examines the function of music for female political prisoners during the Pinochet Dictatorship in Chile
According to the Valech Report, a commission created by the Chilean government in 2004 to document the human rights abuses during the Pinochet dictatorship, during those years there were 1,132 detention centres and 38,254 people were considered to have been detained or tortured.[5]
Tions have gathered testimonies of internment camp survivors in order to provide reparations and understand more about the human rights violations which occurred during the dictatorship
Summary
Singing together was a popular musical activity for the political prisoners of Pinochet’s dictatorship. It is important to remember that one prisoner’s response to a musical experience (including music that is incorporated into torture), may differ from another’s, as prior experiences and emotions can inform each survivor’s perception of it and reaction to it Another instance of demonstrating support for fellow prisoners through singing occurred for survivor Ana María Jiménez at [15] Rosalía Martinez, “Prayer So You Don’t Forget Me,” Cantos Cautivos, November 8, 2015, https:// www.cantoscautivos. In the Cantos Cautivos testimonies, female survivors note how they would use music to communicate with one another in their cells, as well as with prisoners who were in cells close by In one of her testimonies, Scarlett Mathieu, who was imprisoned at Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos and Campamento de Prisioneros, Cuatro Álamos in 1974, notes the pertinence of knowing one another’s voices: It was important to recognize voices because we were blindfolded and our communication happened in the dark...Through the windows, I heard Juan. It is likely that in the Chilean internment camps prisoners would have found that a musical routine helped them create a semblance of normalcy during these extreme circumstances
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
