Of the many home concerts that have been streamed in the past two weeks, few stand close to the solidarity and emotion of “Argentina Canta La Cigarra.”
That’s the title given to a new rendition of “Como La Cigarra” (The Cicada), the song written by Argentine singer/songwriter/author Maria Elena Walsh, who died in 2011 at 80 years old. “Como La Cigarra” was popularized by Mercedes Sosa in the 1970s, and its lyrics of triumph against struggle have made it a Latin American standard.
On Thursday (March 26), 35 Argentine artists came together in a communal, live-streamed performance, with each of them singing a single line. The livestream, which aired on multiple TV channels, took place at 8:50 p.m., a specifically determined time, because at 9 p.m. every day , Argentines — who are strictly quarantined — go out to their balconies and cheer and applaud health workers.
The broad range of artists who performed includes pop/folk acts like Abel Pintos, Luciano Pereyra and Soledad; pop stars like Alejandro Lerner, and legends like León Gieco and Pedro Aznar. The stream, and ensuing video, was produced to look like a WhatsApp chat, with each act noted as “typing” alongside their photo when their turn came up. The initiative came from La Red Solitaria, an Argentine non profit that assists with multiple causes.
“The song’s message is one of hope, and it invites us to keep on singing and confront this invisible enemy,” said Red Solidario founder Juan Carr to Argentine channel TN.
Among the memorable lines of “La Cigarra:”
“So many times they killed me, so many times I died
And yet, I’m still here, revived …]
And I kept singing.
Singing to the sun like a cicada after a year under the ground,
Just like a survivor, who returns from war.”
Watch the full video below.
