Denouncing milonguitas in Aysén: Young peasant singers as agents of folk-comunication during a socio-environmental conflict in Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

This article examines the emergence of young peasant singers in the region of General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, in southern Chile, who through local music denounce the harmful effects of the possible construction of damns in the rivers Baker and Pascua. From a folk communication perspective, the paper addresses the pre-eminence of regional singers who use popular poetry mainly as a vehicle to convey information and denunciation. Two elements are observed: first, the resisting voices in rural areas proximate to the project are that of young people and second, they use musical structures that facilitate narration as an instrument of communication. Methodologically, semi-structured interviews as well as formal analysis of the means used for community denunciation were conducted.