What is Víctor Jara?
'''Víctor Jara''' ([[September 28]], [[1932]]- [[September 15]], [[1973]]) was a singer from [[Chile]], [[South America]]. He was born into a family of very poor [[peasant]]s but through a lot of hard work and effort was able to enter the [[University]] of Chile - something very unusual in a poor country like Chile. In this manner he was able to escape the [[poverty]] of his parents. At [[University]] he studied [[actor|dramatic arts]] or acting; he taught and directed [[theatre]] productions. During this time he met and married Joan Turner, a [[British]] [[ballet]] dancer and [[Choreography|choreographer]] who worked in Chile. Later Víctor Jara started to write and sing songs. He began to sing songs about the life of humble and poor people in his country: [[peasant]]s, [[factory]] [[worker]]s, [[:wikt:miner|miners]], [[orphan|abandoned children]], poor women. He also dedicated music albums to people who live in the [[shanty town]]s. Víctor Jara tried to use his music to bring awareness about the inequality between the richest and the poorest people in [[society]]. How poor folk have a hard time acquiring the most basic things, such as [[food]], [[health|health care]], [[education]], and [[house|housing]]. He also supported [[politician]]s who called for a fairer distribution of wealth to end [[poverty]]. In 1973 Víctor Jara was killed by a military [[dictatorship]] led by General [[Augusto Pinochet]] for singing songs about social problems and social injustice. The [[U.S.]] government of [[Richard Nixon]] supported the military regime. ==Popular Songs== * ''El Derecho de Vivir en Paz '' (The right to live in peace) * ''Plegaria a un Labrador'' (Prayer to a laborer) * ''Duerme, duerme negrito '' (Sleep little black child) * ''Vientos del Pueblo '' (Winds of the people) * ''El Amor es un camino que derrepente aparece '' (Love is a road that suddenly appears) * ''Cuando voy al trabajo'' (On my way to work) * ''Te Recuerdo Amanda'' (I remember you Amanda) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jara, Victor}} [[Category:Chilean