October 5, 2008 - Piensa en mi

After introducing ourselves and our experiences with displacement we begin by warming up our voices. This week, the group chose to extend this warm-up period slightly be experimenting with the vibrations of lamenting vocalizations.

While the person who was meant to share his knowledge of traditional Nubian lamentation songs was not able to join us today, we were privileged to be able to open a critical dialogue about the continuum of displacements, the difference between lamentation and complaint, and the role of culture in shaping responses to forgiveness and resilience with the people who were present. Three of the participants brought with them a collective drawing they had made this past Friday as they prepared for being present today.

Here is the image with thanks:

Gift from members of the Community Mission MILE-END

Diego, one of the participants volunteered to teach us all a song from his birth land of Mexico. He also provided a nuanced reading of this song by questioning the high drama often associated with love and challenging the tendency towards victimhood. He spoke of his own experiences of being on the receiving end of hatred and about the power inherent in integrating even this most difficult of experiences in the affirmation of life and connectivity.

Here are the words to Luz Casal’s song that we learned today:

Si tienes un hondo penar, piensa en mi
Si tienes ganas de llorar, piensa en mi
Ya ves que venero tu imagen divina
Tu parvula boca, que siendo tan niña
Me enseñó a pecar

Piensa en mi cuando sufras,
Cuando llores, también piensa en mi,
Cuando quieras quitarme la vida
No la quiero, para nada
Para nada me sirve sin ti.

Piensa en mi cuando sufras
Cuando llores, también piensa en mi,
Cuando quieras quitarme la vida
No la quiero, para nada,
Para nada me sirve sin ti.