The project I am researching is complex and long term. The resources required include musical talent, visual talent, a promotional network, and organizational support. If all goes well, I will be in Puerto Rico this winter to record folk music around the active University of Puerto Rico (UPR) student movement as it resists paralyzing fees and privatization at the hands of the government administration. These recordings will be used in promotional campaigns through Radio Huelga, a student run internet radio station in Puerto Rico, to support the student's cause. The project may contract or expand according to available resources and participants' wants. I am currently assessing this project's feasibility by contacting students in the movement and organizations in the US who might provide support. I am also becoming familiar with the student's situation, the island's political history, and possibilities for the future.
This is not the first time I have attempted an activist project well beyond the scope of my experience. The failures of my past has taught me one lesson: nothing can be done alone. If I find I am the only one working on something of considerable scale, I should stop working on it. The initial step in achieving my goals is attracting other participants and researching the best way to achieve the impact desired by those I aim to serve. That has been the bulk of my current research.
My main contact in Puerto Rico is Richie Kent, a law student, long time activist, and dear friend who participated in the massive UPR strike last Spring and has close ties with leaders in the student movement. He keeps me informed about UPR politics, the issues being dealt with as the movement moves forward, and who I can contact for collaboration. On the subject of another strike, Richie explains it may be self destructive. Many students believe the Puerto Rican government is engaging in class warfare by installing large fees which effectively block poorer students from university degrees. If another strike hits UPR, the administration may simply shut down the campuses indefinitely. They would then be able to reform the university to their prerogatives, perhaps transforming the university into a middle class science/research based institution, a far cry from the widely accessible, progressive institution it has been for decades. This means I could be entering a desperate situation in December.
I have had brief contacts with several other students. Raul Mastre is a member of Papel Machete, a political puppetry group active on the island since 2006 and exemplary during the Spring strike. I would like to work with them on footage for music videos. Isa Abreu is a faculty assistant and Radio Huelga manager. She will be essential is coordinating my intentions with the station and gaining support from UPR staff. I need to be sure I am not interfering with the university's business. Jenaro Abraham is a local musician and Radio Huelga member. I hope to rely on him for musical contributions and attracting other talents into the recording process. I have not heard from these students recently. The movement has been active with building occupations and demonstrations. And midterms are due. I expect to converse with them more regularly in the weeks to come.
My most pertinent question: how useful can I be? While I have many ideas about how to involve myself with the students, I do not want to force my ideas on them. That would be invasive and unproductive. Until I gather feedback about how the students' own ideas regarding my involvement, I can not be confident in my effectiveness.
For organizational support, I have been contacting several radio and media groups in the US for advise. Most prospects have fallen flat, but a few remain promising. Last weekend I spoke with Jen Abrams, an artist and organizer with the internet barter network OurGoods. She will be providing advise on my work over the coming months in exchange for some help archiving her media. Most promising is a meeting with City Lore later this week. City Lore archives and create projects around diverse modern folk expressions. We have a lot of commonality as my project is rooted in new uses of Puerto Rican folk music. From them I hope to gain a network for promotion and further advise as I proceed.
The greatest frustrations so far have been the difficulty in finding organizational support and the irregular contacts from inside the movement. I expected this difficulty. While Richie has been informative, my other contacts have not been able to provide any concrete information, neither on their commitment to my ideas nor on ideas of their own. Patience is necessary, but if December approaches without definite plans or support I will have to drop the project for want of certainty. I may still go to Puerto Rico to visit Richie and make some recordings, but politically pertinent media would not be the goal. In the meantime I aim to create a prototype of the products I would like to create for Radio Huelga and the movement. I will be identifying Puerto Rican folk music groups in New York to be recorded and used in a studio composition. The original composition will be made available for download and remix. This will serve to gain further interest from organizations and students.
Papel Machete puppet at a UPR student demonstration:
Papel Machete performance:
Radio Huelga on PaperTigerTV:
Street Bomba during the strike
Clown Police street theatre group
Veiled Woman demonstrator
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