Caminos del Mojado
Program Note
Known as a derogatory term in the US, "mojados" (or "wetback") actually has a different tone in the Latine migrant community. A sort of ‘badge of bravery’ if you will — making the hardest decision of one’s life — leaving behind family, community, culture, language, and home — with hardly anything in hand— all for the simple chance of a better life — the ever-sought-after American Dream. This piece is meant to invite the listener to put themselves in the migrants’ shoes – while listening to these pieces, try and see the journey of the characters.
This chamber piece is made up of three movements, each depicting a specific journey for the migrants telling the story. El Rio, or The River, begins right at the river’s bank – the danger of sweeping currents and the panic felt by the migrant, transports them to a deja-vu of sorts – to happier days remembering home. Towards the end of the piece, the migrant is spat right back to reality – the panic and rushing river subsides at the end of the piece when the character is finally safe. El Tren, tells the journey of “La Bestia” nicknamed the “Train of Death” in English. This was a route of cargo trains coming from the Guatemala-Mexico border to the US. This route was shut down in 2014 but not before the recording of many horror stories by migrants. This movement in the piece will provide the listener, just that! To end the piece, we have “El Desierto” or “The Dessert”. This journey is the most common one that migrants live to tell about. The last movement in this piece aims to rope you in with specific sounds depicting mother nature – rattle snakes, sinking sand — the listener will navigate this entire journey to finally hear a contorted version of the Star Spangled Banner – to depict the arrival in the US only to realize that the end of this journey is only the beginning of an even harder one —- cultural assimilation in a completely different country.
Question for the composer: why this topic?
Although now a US citizen, my father held an undocumented status until the birth of my second younger brother (I'm the oldest of four). I've always been around family and friends who have made the journey to the US from Mexico and Central & South America. For as long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with understanding the WHY behind a migrants' journey, but even more curious about the choice of the PATH taken. I've had the privilege and honor of listening and recording countless stories of these journeys. This was the primary influence for this composition. Another, and perhaps stronger motivation for this artistic choice, is: today's "social and political climate" towards immigrants in general. Although I've spoken up in my own community -- advocating for immigrant rights -- it never 'felt enough'. Words in and of themselves can be extremely divisive and sometimes, make situations worse. I've often heard words like "illegal", "alien", "undocumented" used in inappropriate ways. Other words make things confusing -- describing a migrant from a first-world country as an "ex-pat" but a migrant from the third-world country, as an "immigrant". WHY? Words can potentially skew clear "black-and-white" into "grey". This collection of music, devoid of words, is meant to provide the emotional space for the listener to experience the journeys and make an "emotionally-informed" decision -- not through first, second or third account, but through a 'musical account' -- on this topic.
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