Porteno corner | Wander Argentina

Porteño Corner: Melany Vega

Name: Melany Vega
Profession: Promoter/Singer for La Costa Arrastra
Lives: Congreso, Buenos Aires (originally from Salto, Uruguay)
Age: 25

• You grew up in Uruguay. Where? And what was it like to grow up there?

I grew up in Salto, Uruguay. We were poor.

• Did you have electricity?

We had electricity, but no water and cement floors. I bathed with rain water. My mother was in a wheelchair my whole life because she had Multiple Sclerosis. She was already sick when she got pregnant with me. My dad was an alcoholic and violent with my mother.

When I was 12 or 13 I went and bought him a bus ticket and told him to go back to Buenos Aires, where he’s from.

My mother died when I was 14 and I lived with my (maternal) grandma after that.

• How did you end up moving to Buenos Aires?

When I turned 15, in 2008, I started work picking blackberries and I helped my grandmother to pay the bills. I kept studying English meanwhile because I got a sponsorship from a friend of the family to study it starting in primary school – as long as I passed every year, I could keep studying English. I studied English eight years.

I had many different jobs in Salto, and at 16, I started working selling clothes. My boss was really strict but she taught me how to be a good worker. She gave me a spot to sell my own things and so I sold Teddy Bears I purchased in bulk and they sold well — my Teddy bear business.

I even earned enough to be able to get water service in the house again under my name once I was eighteen, because my grandma had too many debts to put it under her name.

I had to come to Buenos Aires for my cousin’s wedding and that same boss wondered out loud why I didn’t just move to Argentina because I was taking too much vacation.

So I came here for good when I was 19. I called my dad and told him I was coming to Buenos Aires.

• What motivated you to come to Buenos Aires?

I knew that coming here I’d get access to more education. Salto is Uruguay’s second best place for university education, but it is limited. The food and transportation are also more expensive in Uruguay.

I loved my grandmother, she was so nice. She did everything she could for me and was amazing, but she only had third grade education and was old-fashioned.

Now that she is gone I don’t really have anyone aside from extended family in Uruguay.

• Weren’t you scared to join your dad considering how he acted in your childhood?

He was violent toward my mother, but not me. Today my father and I have good relationship because I came to understand that everyone is a victim of their own wounds. Once you are a parent yourself, you realize no parent is perfect.

• You said you grew up very religious?

Yes, my mother and whole family were evangelical Christian and so was I, but I had a cool uncle who was a sailor on the Captain Miranda, a famous Uruguayan Navy training vessel who introduced me to new things.

My uncle bought me the book, The Alchemist and so I started to think about alchemy and magic. I was trying to fill the hole that I had in my life.

Thanks to things my uncle exposed me to I became a part of a group called the Gnostic’s of Salto – they taught me a lot, even Buddhist teachings.

• You’re a singer in the band La Costa Arrastra did music make up a part of your childhood?

When I was kid I was part of the school choir. I always sang because it increased endorphins and makes you happy. I always liked music. Music is always a good way to channel my problems.

• What is your favorite type of music?

I searched for my African roots in music and found hip hop and RnB. Since I understood English, it opened some doors for me linguistically and socially. Now I like rock and roll — Rock National.

• Did you ever face discrimination growing up in Uruguay?

Mom’s family was black, so that was the community I was raised in. The only reason I ever felt discriminated against for being black was because of my hair. The kids used to say they could use my hair to wash pots.

Uruguay is pretty advanced in social issues for Latin America though overall, so it wasn’t bad.

• You identify as a feminist. What does that mean to you?

For me being a feminist was an evolution. Even as a kid I wondered why a girl who slept with a lot of guys was a ‘puta’ (whore) but a guy was a ‘genio’ (genius) for doing the same.

In the last couple of years I got more into the movement and began to read more. There is a great documentary called, ‘Suffragistas, Pioneras de las Luchas Feministas’ (Suffragists, Pioneers of the Feminist Fight).

In one scene they were asking the opinion of men about a very productive female worker. They said, ‘What do you think of the work of this woman?’ And the men said, ‘She’s ugly!’ That was a pretty poignant moment highlighting the struggle of women’s value being determined by her looks – like that is the only thing that matters.

And I got more involved in the movement listening to the abortion debate. I had my own personal experience, and also learned about the wider debate. I realized which side I belong. And I realized that I shouldn’t see myself as a monster (for taking a RU-486 to terminate a pregnancy) and understood that women were not just meant to be mothers, or a wife, or a girlfriend.

For many people the word ‘feminist’ is a bad word and it’s associated with ‘fat’ and ‘ugly’ ‘lesbian’ or, ‘fea, gorda, mal garchada’ as they say — it makes me laugh.

It’s pretty recent that I use the word ‘feminist’ to refer to myself, even though I felt these things since I was a girl. I always wondered why certain things are the way they are.

• You dance a bit of tango – what thoughts do you have regarding tango as it relates to feminism?

That’s a good question. I dance a little bit, I went to some tango classes. I think the roots of tango are from lower classes and in the beginning only prostitutes danced it, so that influenced the culture of it.

I enjoy it a lot, but at some point, I began to see how the dance promotes machismo (chauvinism). There are many old lyrics (such as the tune, Flor de Monserrat ) that speak of things such as the ‘virgin girl of the barrio.’ They don’t say vulgar things but they talk about the ‘desirable virgincita.’ This is machismo. Also the whole thing that the man leads the woman and the woman follows. Men do have a certain power there.

The film Un Tango Más (in English: The Last Tango)– the woman, Maria Nieves (who stills shows up at the World Tango Competition in Buenos Aires) talks about the treatment of the men and the power the man has over the woman – he dresses her, tells her how to do her hair, how she was cheated on.

But now there exists groups where the woman leads the tango. There is another group I heard about that stop dancing if the song is chauvinist.

• Growing up religious, you said you were against abortion until the last couple of years and now you are in favor of it, can you share your personal story of why?

It all changed when I did some self-reflection. After I spent two years sacrificing for my son working and paying for childcare.

When I took the abortion pill last year I already had my son and I was sacrificing a lot. I knew that keeping the pregnancy would demand more sacrifice. Sacrifice is overrated.

I had my (two-year-old) son, because since I was religious, I thought I would go to hell otherwise. It’s sad.

I felt like it was my fault that I got pregnant, that I was stupid and because of this I never went to court to ask for child support.

We weren’t in a serious relationship. I wasn’t really in love with him. He left me when I was five months pregnant and got a new girlfriend and didn’t get in touch at all during the pregnancy.

The first months, my child’s father only gave me 300 pesos and bought some diapers.

I love my son, but that came after he was born and a part of my life, not when he was a fetus.

The majority of kids are accidents. The sexual education is lacking and once you’re pregnant it’s difficult to access abortion.

Then there’s the myth of the ‘Mamá luchona’ – who says, ‘I never had an abortion! I brought them all up myself!’ But three are in jail and two are in violent relationships. Raising a human being is something to be proud of, but that is not success in my book. And what about the woman’s feelings? It may seem like I am judging, but sacrifice is overrated. Life shouldn’t only be surviving. We need to dream more, live and enjoy life.

• You said you are also a part of a Feminist group?

The drummer of my band is part of a political party, Las Rojas, which is a feminist group. When I started with the band, I was invited to their meetings and that is when I first got involved in the discussion about abortion and met people my age who are concerned about this issue. I started speaking with women there and I realized we had so much in common.

That’s when the deconstruction of the guilt I had about my son began. I realized that I owe nothing to his father, just to my son. I put all the time and effort into allowing my ex (the baby’s father) to continue to study and work while I took care of all the childcare.

I feel I was always feminist but I didn’t know the word. It’s only recently that I learned what it is.

• Why do you think Argentina’s abortion bill didn’t pass?

The church has a huge role. The church is against sexual education. They teach abstinence.

It totally has to do with the church and is a method of control. But the church has this problem with pedophilia, which is completely sick and they protected thousands of priests. Look at the sex abuse scandal in Chile – the pope defended the bishop even though he abused minors. I find it completely hypocritical.

If you look up evangelists’ populations – there are ton in Brazil, and that is how proto-fascist (Jair) Bolsanaro got elected there — thanks to church brainwashing, because they are very against abortion. And this sentiment is particularly popular in poor neighbors — it’s another way for religion to get intertwined into politics.

I won’t even go into all the bible stuff, it’s full of stuff about the women in the house doing nothing and Mary Magdalen being a prostitute. It’s 2000 years old, and they keep reading and believing this stuff.

The old testament is full of violence against women. Bible quotes are out of context today but they always find a way to justify something that sounds ridiculous.

The church needs more children. Because if they help the poor they get more money.

I grew up in the church, so I am familiar with all this.

• So you aren’t religious at all anymore?

Human life is very precious. It’s a gift. I understand that religion is perfect for workers and slaves – work all your life and then you’ll go to heaven. Isn’t it convenient?

• Now your two-year-old son is with his father in Chile. How did that come about?

Yes, after the pregnancy and after two years and a month, I initially agreed to allow the father to take him to Chile.

When he got separated from his girlfriend he said he could give me 4000 pesos a month (about US$100 at the time’s exchange rate) or take the child with him to Chile, where he’s from, for a couple of months.

I was tired and I said okay because he had a good relationship with our child. After three months he decided he was going to stay there with my son. But my child hasn’t been to the doctor for a checkup since he’s been in Chile because he’s Argentine and doesn’t have papers there.

I thought about making a complaint for kidnapping (as permitted under the Hague Convention on international child abduction). But I see that my son is in good condition otherwise because my ex’s mother helps him and he lives in a big house and has everything he needs.

• You are saving up money to go visit him though?

Yes, even to go visit him I have to come up the money for the trip and the hotel. I’ve never been outside Argentina or Uruguay. I’m going to Chile in two weeks. I set up an appointment to meet with a judge to work out the custody agreement.

I want to come back with my son but I really don’t have enough money to take good care of him. I was thinking when he starts kindergarten I could have him back again because I can work while he’s in school.

• Can’t you ask for some child support payment from the father?

Yes, but I don’t feel I can depend on (receiving) it.

• You’ve been through some difficult things. After all this what is one thing that you are happy about?

I’m just happy my grandma met my son two months before she died.

Porteño Corner: Sarah Stern, Harpist, Colón Theater

Sarah Stern
Harpist, Colón Theater
Age: 33
Lives: Recoleta

• Was the harp your first instrument? If not what other instrument did you learn first?

My first instrument was the piano, which I began studying when I was five years old. Studying piano previously helped me tremendously when I started the harp.

• At what age did you start playing harp?

Ten.

• How does it occur to someone to decide to play harp? Was there some piece of music or performance that inspired you to learn it?

I went to a summer arts day camp at a nearby college, Chatham University. One of the classes they offered was ‘instrument exploration.’ Each week we were introduced to a different instrument and one week they presented us with the harp. The sound was enchanting and otherworldly, and the mere presence and physical beauty of the instrument with its curves and carvings and colors was incredible. Most parents would advise their kids to choose a lighter, cheaper, more practical instrument that is easier to transport but mine were on my team!

• Did you ever imagine when you began that you would one day play at South America’s top opera house?

No! I always dreamed of landing a job in an orchestra but it’s quite difficult to actually win one, and I never imagined I would end up so far away from the U.S.! Each and every day I feel incredibly lucky to have one of the world’s most beautiful and acoustically top-notch offices.

• When did you come to Buenos Aires to join the Colón orchestra?

I played as Principal Harpist in the Philharmonic orchestra of Santiago, Chile, for one year and then joined the Orquesta Estable four years ago, in April 2012.

• Did you have a drive to be excellent when you started or just loved it and kept practicing or something else?

Oh yes! Without the drive you can’t propel forward. Passion is paramount if you want to thrive. Playing is very comforting to me.

• How much did your harp cost?

About $33,000. I have two harps. The second came after a whole year of dealing with tramites (paperwork) and challenges in order to bring it into country.
They want you to pay 50% (tax), so I named the newest one milagro (miracle).

• How do you travel with a harp? Do you have any interesting or perhaps stressful anecdotes about traveling or trying to transport your harp?

Traveling with the harp is always a pricey ordeal. I have found a lovely guy who I always hire to carry my harp in his van. He’s very punctual, reliable, and he even has a small mattress which we put underneath the harp. I also have a fabulous wheeler that was made in Europe and that collapses. It’s especially useful for stairs.

One time I was going to a rehearsal in the Teatro Coliseo and I had to use another harp mover. There were around thirty stairs leading up to the rehearsal room and at one point the harp mover fell and twisted his ankle. Poor guy! Luckily the harp didn’t fall with him but it’s always risky as it is incredibly heavy!

The other day I was wheeling it down Corrientes on my way to Radio Nacional where I played with the Orquesta Filiberto! You could see the Obelisco in the background…

• What is your favorite piece of music to play?

I love French impressionist music because it’s so lush and colorful. Debussy, Ravel, Tournier, Faure. I also love Bach as well as the Benjamin Britten chamber operas.

• Do you have any advice for those who’d like to see a performance at the Colón – what type of performance should they see and where should they get seats?

On Sundays there are free chamber music concerts in the Salon Dorado, which provide a great opportunity to experience high-level music in an intimate setting and they are quite accessible for all. For the real deal, I’d highly recommend seeing an opera. Every detail is decadent. Look out for works with stage direction by Marcelo Lombardero. His productions are so colorful, striking, and cinematic. We have world-class singers and a fantastic orchestra. If you sit lower down you can see better. Higher up sounds even better, so it all depends on your preference.

• Why do you think the Colón is considered one of the top five opera houses in the world? Do you think the renovation that was completed a few years ago retained or improved the acoustics?

Honestly, I never stepped inside the theater before the renovation so I can’t properly give an opinion about the renovations. The Colón tops the charts because of its stellar acoustics, not to mention its aesthetics and the world-class artists who perform in the house. I happen to find its (horseshoe) shape quite comforting; you feel like you’re being embraced.

Earlier this year I was playing Parsifal, and at the very end of the work there’s a magical part where the harp is accompanied by a children’s choir, singing from above the chandeliers. I swear that thanks to the acoustics it felt like the children were singing right by my side.

• Do you have any inside info on the Colón Theater that people not otherwise know?

There are widow boxes which are covered by grates. Apparently back in the (olden) days the widows were assigned to these boxes where they could see the action, but everyone in the house couldn’t see them.

The Colón is a giant labyrinth with many floors underground which extend all around 9 de julio. It’s quite easy to get lost.

It houses two orchestras, a choir, ballet, the library with all the parts, a cafeteria, human resources offices, a doctor’s office, and has many rehearsal rooms and areas where every piece of the production is produced. I have yet to explore many of these parts, such as the painting and wig and shoe studios. Being a member of the orchestra grants you free access to each and every show and concert which is a wonderful perk. I’ve often seen (actress and TV presenter) Mirtha Legrand attend performances, and she always sits in the same box.

• What do you think of the new dress code at the Colón?

To be honest, since I’m usually playing in the pit, I am not so informed about the audience attire. Sometimes I see gowns and fur and diamonds but I also see jeans and casual outfits. But I had not heard anything about the dress code.

• How do audiences here differ from other places you’ve performed?

Audiences here tend to be an older, wealthier crowd. They seem to be respectful. I don’t hear a lot of phones going off or kids crying from where I’m sitting and playing.

• How many people are in the staff orchestra at the Colón? How many are Argentines and how many foreigners more or less? Are there any other Americans?

The Colón has two orchestras: the Filarmonica (symphonic repertoire) and the Estable (the opera orchestra which I’m in.) The Estable has around 92 tenured people. There are also around 30 people with temporary contracts. Of the permanent members, there are nine foreigners: two Chileans, two Uruguayans, two Ukrainians, one man from Turkmenistan, one Bulgarian, and one North American (me). There are also two other Americans who are contracted.

• Did you speak Spanish before you came here? Was there any learning curve or added difficulty in your job due to the language?

I studied French in high school, and learned some German when I was studying in Basel Switzerland. I learned a bit of Spanish when I was in Chile but the orchestra there had so many foreigners that we mainly spoke English. Lots of orchestra members want to practice English with me!

I’m still studying but my Spanish has improved a lot from when I first arrived. I still find it challenging because all official orchestra emails and paperwork and formal correspondences with the administration are in Spanish.

• What is your life like when you aren’t playing music? Do you have family or pets in Argentina? What do you like to do in your free time here?

I love to see films, read, hear live music (folklore, tango and jazz at places like Café Vinilo, CAFF, and Thelonious), discover new restaurants and cafes in Almagro, San Telmo, and Palermo, take photos, and attend cultural events. I don’t have family or pets here in Argentina. I’ve taken short story classes at the Walrus school.

• What is your guilty pleasure in Buenos Aires?

I love coffee at LAB, crema de maní (peanut butter) ice cream at Jauja, and wine and cheese at Bar du Marche. Also cauliflower with fifty mystery spices at Mishiguene!

• It would seem your hands (and feet for that matter, since you play pedal harp) are very valuable for your profession. Are there any activities you don’t do because you can’t risk hurting your hands? Do you have special insurance related to this?

What a good question! I don’t like cutting things with big knives or lighting matches. I don’t have any special insurance — maybe I should.

Porteño Corner: Javier Porta Fouz, Director of BAFICI

Javier Porta Fouz
Director, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Film
Age: 42
Lives: San Cristobal

• How did you start working with the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Film (known by its acronym, BAFICI)?

I started working in the BAFICI in its third edition, when Quintín became the director. I worked on the catalog for fourteen years. I also worked with books, newspapers and the advertising for the movie theaters. I also worked in programming for ten years and I worked on movie selection. Now I’m the artistic director.

• How would you describe your role as artistic director?

You have to pay more attention to a general view of the festival and work with very different parts, like the press, a lot of work with the programmers (who select and schedule the movies), and just paying attention to the general design. You have to think about how you want the next edition of the festival to look.

• What was your favorite part this year? Is it your first year as artistic director?

Yes, it’s my first year as director. When we confirmed the participation of Peter Bogdanovich (as a guest) it was a very important moment because he is a very important director for the history of cinema, and he has made movies that I value a lot. ‘The Last Picture Show’ or ‘Texasville’ are fundamental for anyone who is interested in cinema. They are very important movies.

• And what is the part that you liked the least?

(laughs) I was going to say doing interviews, but that’s not true. No, to be honest I’m enjoying every minute of it. It’s one of those things that when you’re a child you don’t even know what a film festival is, but once you know what it is any cinephile would love to direct one. And to be able to direct a festival in your own city, it’s incredible.

• Were there any surprises, or things that were harder than you thought they would be?

There were a few things to do with production and management that I paid less attention to before (I became director). And the difficulty of putting together an event, that surprised me. Everything that goes into putting together a press conference, there’s a lot of people involved. Apart from that, I was very involved in the negotiations for the films with Paloma Dema, the BAFICI coordinator, and that was actually a very fluid process, I was surprised by how smooth it was.

• Is there anything you tried to do differently this year compared to past years?

Yes. We tried to segment the festival as much as possible, to create something that was less of a panorama and more divided into thematic sections, with distinct focuses. And then in each section there were outstanding films with more openings, and more possibilities to be selected for the competition. We tried to have more ‘focus.’

• You also brought the BAFICI to new neighborhoods this year, neighborhoods where films from the festival weren’t shown previously?

The idea with the neighborhoods is to bring the festival to many more neighborhoods than before. And this means that the presence of the festival is much more spread out, and people are closer. The cultural policy is to offer diversity and access.

• Is there anything particular that you look for in a movie when you select a film for the festival?

I look for something surprising, with a very personal vision. Festivals tend to have pre-established formulas for films, and we tried to stay away from that. We tried to include things that were surprising, fresh, and genuinely personal.

Where do you get the movies you are showing? Do you travel to other festivals to find them, or do people send them to you?

I travel a lot, and people send many in as well. So it is a mix.

• Do you go to many other festivals then?

I have another job as a curator for a video platform, and I travel a lot for them as well. I went to the Toronto (International Film Festival). I went to Lima (Film Festival). I went to Berlin.

• Do you have a favorite film festival other than the Bafici?

The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).

• Do you try to find a balance between South American movies and movies from the rest of the world? Or do you strive to have a bit of everything?

We try to be as inclusive as possible, and show films from different countries. But Latin America is an important focus, because we know that the festival is important to many Latin Americans. So to us it is important that Latin America have a strong presence (in the BAFICI).

• Do you have a favorite movie of those showing at the BAFICI?

Of the films that are in the festival, yes I have many favorites: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and the films of Peter Bogdanovich. I’m only going to say older films, because I don’t want to put any of the newer films above the others. But yes, I love many of the films showing in the festival. And there are many that I would love to see again if I didn’t have to work.

• Are you originally from Buenos Aires?

No. I am from Marcos Paz in the Province of Buenos Aires.

• How did you first get interested in cinema?

Since I was a kid I’ve loved going to the movies.

•You lived next to a movie theater right?

Yes, I’ve lived next to two movie theaters in Buenos Aires. One was the Gaumont , which is now going to host the BAFICI opening ceremony. So I’m very happy about that.

• When you aren’t working on the BAFICI, what do you do?

I work for Qubit, a video platform. I’m a content curator for them, and I also write film reviews for La Nación (newspaper).

• If you could do anything, what would your next professional project be?

I don’t know. Right now the BAFICI is enough for me. After that, I still don’t know. I don’t want to make plans for the future right now.

-interview: Sam Harrison

Porteño Corner: Father Sebastián Risso

Name: Father Facundo Sebastián Risso
Parish Vicar, Maria Madre de la Esperanza
Age: 39
Lives: Villa 20

• At what age did you decide you want to dedicate your life to religion?

When I was 16 years old my brother died in a fatal accident. I don’t come from a religious family, they don’t go to church or anything – maybe they have their religious beliefs but they don’t go to church. This situation made me seek God.

I got older and soon after I was invited to a parish – it started there.

• Can you tell me a bit about the work that you are doing at the moment?

The parish is a place where people come and stay, in other parishes you just go and attend religious services. They come here to study. They come here to play. The parish is a place of refuge and safety.

I try to help them to grow in a safe place to widen their horizons. I’m thinking about this at this moment, to let them go out of here or not. I think I have to respect them to also let them grow and decide.

I find that the poorest thing is lack of education, not lack of material things, but lack of education. They just don’t know they can study or earn a lot of money, or apply for a position that could give them a more comfortable lifestyle and they just do what their parents have done.

The families are broken here, most of my time I accompany young people. I find that all of them are sons and daughters of fathers who abandoned their family. There is a lot of physical violence and other kinds of violence. Alcoholism is huge here. There are many who were raped in childhood.

The most horrible thing is that they have naturalized that behavior. One is just used to being hit — the boy is just used to seeing his father hit his mother, who is drunk and drunk for a week. It’s tough.

• So most of the work you do is with young people?

Yes – with young people because I think they need it more, in my assistance, I can help them.

• So the church offers them a place of refuge. What do you hope to achieve in the future and are you seeing any changes?

Yes – for example this – (pointing to the homework of a young boy studying in the parish).

I think that, of course, I can’t teach them everything. Many times (it’s about) the lack of this being with the ‘other.’ The mother has to go to work and there is no father. Simply when the boys go back home after school there is no mum to do homework with them. So they don’t do their homework.

This simple thing means the child is educated here. Maybe he does not pass his exams, by 16 when he or she has to retake the year – (they) abandon their studies, go to work or are about to be themselves a father or mother because they got pregnant. It’s very difficult. I find that I can be with them maybe, but I cannot make them do another thing. Maybe with my advice and presence and just my hugs I could make a difference. I don’t know if I have to change their lives, I don’t think I have to do that because they have to live what they decide to live and what they can live. I mean it’s not them and us, (that) their lives our horrid and we have the power. I don’t think in that way. I think you can live better and I can show you that, but you decide. It’s difficult because they are not my ‘patients’.

• Describe your typical day

I have many tasks. In general, I get up early and pray. After my prayers I have many places to visit. Maybe I go to bless a house of one of the families who called me. Maybe I go to a meeting with one of many institutions here. I work together with the justice and health system also and education as well, different schools here.

So I have to go, for example, to one of the schools to talk with one of the headmasters. We are working with a project that has to do with Nazism and the Holocaust and also the last dictatorship here in Argentina and human rights with teens. Human rights are important, they need to know the rights they have. If they don’t know the rights they have they just do not ask for them. I do this one-on-one, in confession or just people who come to speak with the priest. I try to help them in whatever I can, not only religious things, (with) what they need in general. There are many activities here in the parish that has to do with culture, sports, art. I visit the different groups and relate with the people who come to the groups and also try to give them what they need.

Also the religious part: mass, baptisms, visiting them in their houses, attention when one dies – that’s very important.

• How large is the Parish?

About 50,000 I think, I have heard — it is too much.

• Are you the only priest in this parish?

There are two of us, but we are very tired and the people here are very religious. For the catechism we have 600 children every Saturday — it’s a lot. For all the activities with the children they receive something to eat because it is very important for them. We need a lot of milk, chocolate and food and it is not that easy to find. No one gives us money. That is important because for some it could be the only meal they receive in the day so it is very hard. I think my place, what I do is also to help them to fight to be hopeful. I think it is very important, just being there beside them, praying with them and showing them that they can be better. God’s will is for them to be better.

• Are the people here are very religious and attached to their faith?

Yes, because they are very poor and because most of them are from Bolivia and Paraguay and they are not from the cities, but from the countryside. They were very religious in their countries so they bring that with them. They come here with those same roots of the faith. They live here as they live in their countries, with the same religion, the same traditions, with the same dances, music, language.

• How has the Catholic faith changed in the last few years?

That is a difficult question to answer because I know him very well (points to a picture of Pope Francis on the wall). For us in Buenos Aires and in particularly (us) priests, who knew our former Archbishop well, I am really not astonished or surprised. He is doing the same things that he was doing here. But one thing is being the Archbishop, and one thing is being the Pope.

• So you knew Pope Francis when he was Father Bergoglio well?

He was my bishop and my father. We spoke many times.

• Do you think he is more of a political pope? He is more outspoken on certain topics than other figures in the past.

I think that he is himself. Now he can just show another dimension and here he couldn’t — he had limits and now he can be himself and say what he likes. I did not read all of what he said to the U.N. and on the U.S. visit. I heard from the other priests that he just talked about the gospel; he did not say anything else. He just preached the gospel – just a simple preacher but it’s the Pope speaking to the U.N. and the U.S.

• Some say he is quite a modern pope, he has Twitter and Facebook and he’s become more accessible to the people in this way –

Here he didn’t even use email!

• Do you think it’s important to do more things to modernize to become more accessible to the people?

Yes, of course. I think there is an army of laborers and workers helping him answering things.

For instance, I went to Berlin last year to a seminar. I really miss him. The last day we ate breakfast and I went to the hotel lobby and asked them for paper to write three lines, “Thank you, now I am very well in the parish that I am in and I pray for you.”

I gave it to the priest who was going to the Vatican City. He told me that he wouldn’t see the Pope but that he could give to his secretary. Ten days after that I received — with his handwriting that I know very well — a card, just a card. I was thinking, he receives cards and letters from the whole world and he found the time to read (my message) and write back.

For me it was very important and his way of being present – I think that changes the church. He is with the people, as simple as that. Like Jesus, there with the people with the suffering ones. I insist on this – he hasn’t changed – he does the same things as he did in Buenos Aires. He goes to the prisons, he goes to the work places — he does the same (things he did before).

• What do you enjoy doing outside of your faith? What are your likes and dislikes?

I love singing. I’m interested in reading everything. I like psychology and the application of psychology as to relate better with others. Cultural things. I’m interested in studying. I like to study about the culture of my parishioners. Now I’m here with the Bolivian and Paraguayan people, so I’m interested in studying their rituals and ceremonies.

Also I like landscapes. I like traveling; I like learning about different cultures and people, like the Jewish culture. I like languages, spirituality. I like to seek and to reach and to find out how people find happiness or live happy.

My dislike — injustice!

Are you originally from Buenos Aires?

Yes – my mother was born in Paraguay, but she emigrated when she was 18.

Do you have a favorite place in Buenos Aires?

The bookshops on Corrientes. I don’t go to those places unless I have to go with another person such as a tourist, but I like doing that.

What is you’re opinion on Argentine Folk Saints such as Gauchito Gil? What do you think of them?

It’s very complex. The story says he was like a Robin Hood – people are devoted to him. Of course, if someone asks me to come and bless the image I do it, because I think God wills people to something religious.

A lot of people who come here would like to help communities such as the one you work in, what are the different ways they can do this?

I used to say that the best way is to come and visit, if you visit you can find what they need and you can give them that. Time – anyone who can come and do homework with the boys is excellent. We need food because there is no one who gives us food and there are a lot of people who eat in the parish. Money is also very important so we can buy what we need. If someone comes and says they want to help, I tell them to come here. Many people are not interested and they help (only) with food or money or whatever. But the best way is to come and visit the area and the people because they can find what they need and give it to them.

-interview: Maral Shafafy

Porteño Corner: Refugee Rapper in Argentina, Dodas Bangoura

David Dodas Bangoura (a.k.a. Black Doh)
Refugee rapper
Age: 25
Lives: San Telmo

• How in the heck did you get from your native Guinea to Argentina?

I came here by hiding out in a cargo boat for 17 days, but it’s not like my family abandoned me or anything like that. I was escaping because I didn’t like the politics and the corruption of Guinea.

My family isn’t poor by African standards, although there were a few years that my dad — who lives in Poland — didn’t send any money.

After I got here, my mom spent a bunch of money looking for me because she didn’t know where I was. I feel bad about that. I kind of abandoned myself, really.

• You’ve traveled to many countries by hiding out on boats before you got here. Can you talk a bit about that?

The first boat I ever took went to the Ivory Coast and then to Ghana. So I started to travel around Africa and went to Burkina Faso and then to Mali. I hopped my first boat across the ocean when I was 11 years old. I went to Uruguay. It took like 15 days but they sent us right back to home, first to Senegal and back to Guinea.

• When you got on that boat to Uruguay did you know where it was going?

No, you never know. It was a Filipino boat. The crew were nice and helped me out. They told me what to say next time to qualify for refugee status.

The next boat I was on went to Venezuela. That was a Chinese boat. When they discovered us hiding out they wanted to kill us, because once you’re discovered, the shipping company is responsible for you.

They gave us rotten food and tried to drown us by filling the engine room with water. When we arrived to an area of the ocean with a few navigational lights, they said, “Okay we’re in New York, you should jump off and swim from here,” but I didn’t see land anywhere so I said, “No way!”

• How many kids were on that boat?

There were five us on that boat. I was the oldest. I always tried to travel with younger kids because it might help to be received as a refugee. Venezuela didn’t allow us in though — they sent us back on the same boat. The captain of that boat — when he finally found out about us — was a nice guy. He took us to Panama.

The owner of the boat, or the company in Panama, told us they were going to China and they were going to leave us there, since there is a Guinean embassy in China. I was in China for about three months and they were going to let us stay there, but the Guinean embassy took all the money meant to help me, so in the end I got sent home instead.

When you would get home, what would your mom say?

My mom didn’t want me to travel. She wanted me to stay and study but she also knew the problems I had there. My parents are from two different tribes – Fula and Susu — so I’m not accepted by either. So since I wanted to travel she just tried to give me advice about how to take care of myself.

Did you ever get in trouble trying to sneak on a boat?

Yes, one time I got caught trying to get on a Vietnamese boat and a guy chased me off with a bow and arrow. I jumped in the water and swam away underwater.

• Where did you go after you got back from China?

I ended up in Egypt next. They were willing to accept me, since I am Muslim and wanted to study. They took me to see the pyramids and stuff but it was too hot there and I didn’t really want to stay in Africa. They put me and my friend on a plane to Morocco. We were supposed to transfer to another flight home, but we just walked out of the airport.

Then we went to Russia. We were freezing our asses off — merde! We were there for less than a week, but they gave us really hot food and took good care of us.

Then we went home. By then I was 16 years old and was planning to study in the university there, but since my mom didn’t vote and wasn’t supportive of the ruling party in Guinea, I wasn’t allowed to enroll.

There were also people in my father’s family putting witchcraft on me. I never believed in it until they put a spell on me and I started to go crazy. I couldn’t take it, so I wrote my mom a note and left it on the dresser and just left.

By this point I knew how to take a boat. You have to know how to swim, how to wrap up your food in plastic bags so that it floats, and how to climb up into the boat. There were other boys that wanted to travel so they would come and say ‘I have food’ or whatever and I’d show them how to sneak onto the boat.

Okay so how did you finally get to Argentina?

I had been looking at a map and thinking that Argentina would be a good place to go, since it’s south. The only thing I really knew about it was Maradona, who I loved. By coincidence the next boat I got on went to Rosario. I got off and said, “Wow! I’m in the land of Maradona!” That was in 2004.

• And you said you were sort of adopted by a local family there. How did that happen?

I used to go running and I would run through parks and by spots where kids were smoking herb and playing basketball, so I got to become friends with some of them. I was living in a pensión (cheap hotel) and when the bicycle that my best friend built for me got stolen there, his mom invited me to live with them. He’s still my best friend.

• Why do you prefer to be in Buenos Aires instead of Rosario now?

Rosario is a nice place there are a lot of parks there, but it’s complicated for us there. They are even more racist than in Buenos Aires. The police would arrest me and take all the money I had on me before letting me go free. People would yell at me on the street, “Hey Negro! Go back to where you came from!”

I got in a lot of fights there, that’s how I lost my tooth. Now I’ve learned — I just ignore them and mind my own business.

• You said you also got shot in Rosario. What happened?

We were taking cocaine. Some friends of my friends came — I had seen them around, I had played basketball with them before. All of a sudden one of them just took out a big gun and started waving it around. They accused me of stealing from them, but it didn’t even make sense because at this point I had everything I needed, I lived with a family and since I had refugee status I got money from the government.

So I got shot. It happened very fast. The bullet went through my arm, out my shoulder and into my cheek. You can see the scars. So then the cops came and they called an ambulance. It was really weird, I still don’t understand it, because there were no arrests and it didn’t even come out in the newspaper. Usually when something like that happens in Rosario it’s all over the news. In fact my friend got shot and when that happened it was in all the papers and on T.V.

I’ve thought about it a lot. I really don’t know. I think it was a set-up of some sort or they were just jealous. I’ve even considered that the production company (of the documentary that he stars in) had something to do with it. I just really don’t know.

• So you are the star of the documentary David y El Gran Río by Rubén Plataneo to debut at the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival and you have a C.D. coming out at the same time. Do you know when?

I think in March or May — they keep changing the date. I just received the cover of the C.D. I don’t like it – it has a drawing of me riding a whale. I came here on a boat, not a whale!

• How did you get a label to pick you up?

I hung out with the hip-hop troupe La Resistencia in Rosario. The production company for the documentary presented my work in a competition and I won. So it’s sponsored by the province of Sante Fe and SADAIC. It’s going to come out in Rosario, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Guinea and, I think, Germany.

• Do you still get help from the government of Argentina?

No, they only help you until a certain age. So they helped me for four years and for fours years I’ve been on my own.

• How do you get by financially?

My dad sends me money and sometimes I have gigs in clubs. It’s not easy for a black guy here because there are so few of us, so we stick out. They see my face and don’t want to hire me. I did work in a restaurant in Rosario for two years. They paid me 40 pesos a day plus tips.

I even sold silver and gold jewelry on the street to make money, like a lot of the Senegalese guys do. A Canadian group, L’ACNU hooked me up with a local group that gave me the goods to sell. But it embarrassed me to sell jewelry on the street.

I was even going to work at Burger King. I ran around all over and did all the paperwork and finally they told me my work papers were no good, but I think it was because I’m black.

• You said that at some point you started smoking crack while you were here?

Yeah, well I had smoked it before in my country, they have a type of crack there, but after my adopted mom here died suddenly, right in my arms, of a heart attack, I got depressed and I started smoking it again.

• How did you stop?

I just stopped – it’s shit. Also my mom tells me not to mess with it, I love and respect my mom a lot, so I listen to what she says. I want to study, my family also wants me to study — that’s why they send me money.

• You’re Muslim, like most Guineans, do you still practice?

A little, I’m not that strict, I pray maybe twice a day.

• You gained refugee status but are now having difficulties because you lost your DNI (National Identity Card). What happened?

My dad sent me money through Western Union and you have to show your DNI when you pick up the money and I accidentally left it there. When I got back the guy said he didn’t have it, so now I have to apply for it all over again.

• So now after spending a third of your life here what do you think of Argentina?

They bust your chops here these days. I liked it for Maradona but now they are making things difficult for us. I want to leave but I have a daughter here and my mom wants me to stay and get my high school degree so I can go to college. I’m hoping things will be better after the documentary and my C.D. come out.

I told my mom that I want to go to Canada. I had a girlfriend from there. It’s cold there, but if there is no discrimination it would be worth it.