The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo
The view from Corazon del Pueblo

The hereafter re me

My photo
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Musician, photographer, videographer, reporter, ex-officio teacher, now attempting to be a world traveler

Friday, December 14, 2007

Only graffiti

I had lunch with some young people the other day and we had a wide-ranging conversation. My Spanish is getting good enough to begin to express real thoughts, but not really. I think it was better when I just had to keep my mouth shut and say nothing because I could say nothing. There is an great expression, "En boca cerrada, no entran moscas," translated loosely, "Flies don’t go in a closed mouth – essentially, shaddup, keep your mouth closed.
At any rate, I asked if there were comedy clubs here or an equivalent to “The Daily Show” or Colbert in which people could lampoon the politicians and the system. Their answer was that they did not exist here. One said that people in Mexico carry a fear within them that silences them.As far as I can see and remember, my language skills are limited, the only prominent political protests come in the form of graffiti, which I continue to photograph.

In this photo URO is Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, the governor of Oaxaca, who is generally reviled. Puto in this context means something like "male whore" and should not be confused with puto, the rice cake or dumpling that comes in many forms in the Far East.
And what do these represent?
Maybe hope?

1 comment:

zapfilms said...

as your Spanish gets better and people open up more you will begin to understand the doublespeak in the print press that is quite funny...and blogs are hilarious

also cartoons but you need like eons of history to understand Mexican politics, the way I look at it after 4 yrs in San Luis Potosi, previously a brief resident of beautiful Oaxaca, is that there are tons of family allegiances as well as NO church/state separation and its very mixed up...Bradley Will unfortunately jumped in the fray which as you know is illegal as well as stupid for us extranjeros..

TV wise the duopoly of televisa/azteca owns the govt of mexico along with slim so slim chance of a jon stewart type show ... GREAT BLOG! zapfilms