07/2011

I’m touched this morning by the news of the murder in Guatemala of one of Latin America’s greatest and most loved folk singers, the Argentinian Facundo Cabral. I want to share with you a little of what I read today, especially something that he said in an interview in 2008:

“I love life so much because it cost me so much to enjoy it. From the cradle to the grave is a school, so if what we call problems are lessons, we see life differently.”

And here (courtesy of bbc.co.uk) is more about this much-loved man:
‘Cabral became famous in the early 1970s as a protest singer in Argentina. His wife and baby daughter died in a plane crash in 1978. Guatemala has announced three days of official mourning. Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rigoberta Menchu, travelled to the scene of the killing and openly wept. “For me, Facundo Cabral is a master,” she said. “He loved Guatemala greatly.” The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela were among those sending condolences.

‘In 1996, Unesco declared Cabral a “world messenger of peace”. His most famous song was No Soy de Aqui ni Alla (I’m Not From Here or There), which was recorded in a number of languages.

‘Guatemalan fan Edgar Palacios, 54, told Reuters the singer would not be forgotten. “Facundo Cabral died but his music will never die, just like John Lennon died but his music never died. Cabral wasn’t just from one country. He was a universal man.”‘
Bon voyage, Facundo!