“The bourgeoisie wants from the artist an art that courts and flatters their mediocre taste.”
José Carlos Mariátegui
The band and drum music It is not just a form of entertainmentbut a symbol intrinsic to the identity of Mazatlan. Keeping this cultural expression alive is an act of courage and resistance. These efforts to “clean up” the port's traditional sound represent much more than simple regulations; They are an act of class violence that threatens the identity and cultural resistance of port workers. When facing the class war imposed by the hotel oligarchs and the foreign gentrifierswe defend our music, our history, our identity and our right to exist in a space that belongs to us.
He cultural legacy of our port is being threatened by interests that seek to transform Mazatlán into a standardized tourist paradise, stripped of its authenticity; for the rich and foreigners. Hotel oligarchs, in their desire to attract wealthy tourists and fill their pockets, see banda and drum music as an obstacle to their vision of a luxury, white, bourgeois and simple destination. Likewise, foreigners, motivated by the search for investment properties and second homes, wish to suppress any manifestation of local life that they perceive as “undesirable” or “unsophisticated.”
To understand the magnitude of this struggle, it is essential to contextualize the importance of banda and drum music in the lives of Mazatlecos. These musical genres are a vibrant reflection of the region's identity and history. Emerging in popular neighborhoods and rooted in Mexican traditions, banda and drum music has served as a community bond, a celebration of life and, now, a reminder of identity resistance in the face of adversity. Attempts to regulate banda music are little more than tools of social control used by those who seek to impose their homogeneous vision on the cultural diversity of Mazatlán. In a world increasingly homogenized by the forces of global capital, cultural diversity is a treasure to be firmly defended.
To the gentrifiers and hoteliers we say:
The band was before you and will be after you leave.
Long live the band and the drum in Mazatlán!
@PicasFuentes
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