Somos Guerreras
By Grace Carballo ‘17
Last Tuesday Rebeca Lane, dubbed “one of the fiercest voices of Latin American hip hop”, spoke to a captivated audience in Bovard, answered questions (in Spanish and English), and performed some of her powerful raps in an event arranged by USC Visions & Voices titled, “Somos Guerreras: Feminism, Hip Hop, and Guatemala.” She was interviewed by fellow musician, Maya Jupiter (pictured below) to start the conversation and performed with DJ Francesca Harding, who is also immensely talented. My little brother, Nick (Class of 2020) and I were among the many in attendance looking to learn more about Rebeca Lane, hear some of her latest music, and get an inside-look at her form of “artivism”.
Lane eloquently explained the significance of her lyrics and the Guatemalan context, which I will admit I was not very familiar with prior to her talk, particularly the role U.S. intervention played. Following the 1954 CIA-organized coup, the Civil War in Guatemala by the 1980s had become a genocide, with a large number of massacres in indigenous lands. Lane uses her raps to remember what many Guatemalan authorities have tried to erase from public consciousness in songs like “Cumbia de la Memoria” with the repeated verse “Sí, Hubo Genocidio”, “Yes, there was genocide”, which all in attendance sang along to. This song also celebrates the bravery of the witnesses and judges who worked to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Other themes prevalent in her music are feminism, violence against women (femicidios being the most extreme example), imposed heterosexuality, and questions of identity, particularly being mestiza and the complications that accompany this.
Lane is also the founder of Somos Guerreras, a movement to create a less sexist hip hop culture (and the namesake of the Visions & Voices event).
Evidently, music and art are agents for transformation and Lane is using her powerful voice to challenge stereotypes, criticize injustice, and empower others.
Identity is another important facet of Lane’s music and persona. Her new album, Alma Mestiza, speaks to the contradictions of being mestiza in Guatemala. Additionally she spoke to the identity complications of identifying as queer, as a woman, and being part of the hip hop movement. She promoted rap as an important tool for change and explained how she also facilitates rap workshops with underrepresented communities. One song in particular, “Reina del Caos” speaks to this appreciation for the countercultural and challenging stereotypes and traditional roles.
Lane uses hip hop to take important topics to the streets, an innovative and essential approach given that only 2% of the population has university-level education in Guatemala. Lyrics are a great way to disseminate ideas and start dialogues.
Women in hip hop in Central America often face obstacles from their families and other proponents of traditional gender roles, the machista culture in general, and judgment from men in the hip hop community. Lane in particular addresses gender discrimination and violence against women in a number of songs, most recently, “Este Cuerpo es Mio” or “This Body is Mine”. She explained that there are 700 femicidios (femicides) each year in Guatemala and most of these victims are killed by men close to them.
In response to a question asked by an audience member (asked in Spanish which was pretty cool to hear), Lane explained that she wants to create art that reflects pain and lived experiences but that she also wants her lyrics (in particular when people sing along to them) to be healing in some way.
She recognizes the importance of what may seem on the surface to be relatively insignificant.
“Getting together and having a good time is a political act.” - Rebeca Lane
I am so grateful to have been able to attend this event and learn from such powerful women. The energy in the crowd was palpable and the diversity present (USC students to community members to native Spanish speakers to young kids to high-schoolers) demonstrated the power of music and art to unify people. Rebeca Lane is not only a gifted activist and rapper, but also an eloquent speaker who established instant rapport with those present.
If you missed the event or like me, want to learn more from Rebeca Lane and her artivism, her Soundcloud profile and Instagram are linked below.
https://soundcloud.com/rebeca-lane
https://www.instagram.com/rebecalane6/
Fight (the power structures) on,
Grace Carballo ‘17
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