By Tim Hollins and Pete Godfrey
During an inspiring weekend – 9th 10th 11th August – West Wales will reverberate to the unlikely sounds of Latin American music with a distinctly political twist as the El Sueño Existe festival – ‘The Dream Lives on’ – is celebrated among the green hillsides of Machynlleth (SY20 8ER).
The festival, inspired by the music and political vision of legendary Chilean singer-songwriter Victor Jara has become something of a fixture in the calendar of folk music and progressive ideas. This year’s festival will feature a wealth of musical acts headlined by the Frida Violeta Band – an all-women band from Cambridge blending any number of musical heritages. They’ll be returning after their barnstorming set during last year’s ‘Chile 50 years on’ mini-festival. Alongside them will be the customary colourful array of Latin American dancers, poets, musicians, bands and theatre performers, and a wide-ranging series of political and cultural workshops.
Jeremy Corbyn at El Sueño Existe 2022
Each edition of the festival focuses on specific issues, and this year’s themes are Bolivia and the Amazon, and the global struggles for Climate Justice. Expect sessions on the political tensions within MAS (The Movement towards Socialism), and the benefits and costs of Lithium extraction.
A number of Bolivians living in the UK will be contributing, including the wonderful Wiphalas Across the World and poet and film maker Giovanna Miralles. We are also delighted that a member of Indigenous film / radio / TV collective Chajra Runaj Masis will be travelling to the festival from Cochabamba, Bolivia to not only show videos, but discuss grassroots campaigning journalism, the current situation locally and nationally, and probably to lead an indigenous K’hoa ceremony – a fire and chicha ritual to honour Pachamama/Mother Earth.
Jeremy Corbyn will be attending as usual, and we are delighted to have the wholehearted support of the Corbyn-backed Project Peace and Justice Project, bringing their energy and radical take on the world to the festival – as well as great media support from our friends at Alborada films, and the Victorina Press. New for this year will be a ‘festival within the festival’ organised by Latin America Bureau (LAB), highlighting their longstanding work in publishing and campaigning.
El Salvadorean asylum seekers getting a great festival experience 2022
The ongoing demand not only for transition to net zero but a just transition will be our overarching environmental and political theme. There will be input from XR Machynlleth and other climate justice campaigners, together with reports from across Latin America from the frontlines of the climate struggle we all share.
El Sueño Existe attracts a vibrant mix of Chileans who found a haven in Britain in the 1970s, veterans of solidarity campaigns here, and the younger generations who have inherited the wealth of both Latin American and British and Welsh cultural traditions. The touchstone is Victor Jara himself, a Communist and passionate supporter of Allende’s government, who was among the thousands of Pinochet’s victims, tortured and savagely murdered at the age of 39 – for being a voice of the people. Unlike his tormentors, his legacy has become recognised as being artistically unique – an eloquent testimony of the flagrant injustices in Chilean society, and a call to arms to remedy them. As with every festival there will be a strong Chilean input, with news from the EcoMemoria project, planting trees to create a new woodland as a memorial to those who disappeared and have no grave.
Visitors to the festival can expect the unexpected, whether it is a lyrical poetry performance from Latin American women’s writers’ group Las Juana’, a Liberation Theology participatory mass, or an indigenous instrumental procession, a full-on dance concert to show off those salsa moves, or some fine examples of Bolivian film making, together with food stalls, camping, etc. – we aim to nourish the soul as well as the body! A number of town venues will be used for workshops and smaller concerts, all within a 10 minute stroll of the main site, Y Plas. All venues are wheelchair accessible.
Perhaps the last word should go to one of the Chileans, Idulia, exiled here since 1975, who has attended several El Sueño Existe festivals : “The festival is the one place in Britain where I really feel I belong.” It’s Jeremy Corbyn’s favourite festival, so if you only have spare cash for one festival this summer, make sure it is this one!
Weekend tickets £60/£80/£100 solidarity price + camping, campervans + programme updates, information on volunteering (8 – 12 hrs volunteering for a free weekend ticket) local accommodation, etc., all via the festival website:
www.elsuenoexiste.com Contact elsuenoexiste19@gmail.com
Tim Hollins and Pete Godfrey are part of the El Sueño Existe organising team.
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