El Sonido del Agua Update

We’ve got an update on the El Sonido del Agua project, our multi-year initiative in the Rio Grande Valley funded by ArtPlace America.

Call to Action fliers passed out at local events

Since the January 26th kick-off celebration, El Sonido del Agua has become an advocacy tool for our partner organizations (ARISE and LUPE) to use for members of the Alberta Meadows and Owassa Acres colonias in their continued fight for improved drainage infrastructure.

Content which includes the six original corridos (songs in the Conjunto tradition) and call to action pamphlets have been shared at local events to encourage other colonias in Hidalgo County to inform residents of their power and ability to make infrastructural improvements in their communities.

Here’s an example of some of the lyrics in the corridos:

Los niños estaban muy desconsolados 
Pues sus vacaciones no podían disfrutar
Nubes de zancudos lombrices y ratas 
Cubría el terreno imposible jugar

(The children were gloomy
Since their vacations could not be enjoyed
Clouds of mosquitoes, worms, and rats
Made the ground an impossible place to play)

Las inundaciones son un gran problema
Buscando el apoyo se puede arreglar
Uniendo a la LUPE junto con Arise 
y con bcWorkshop lo resolveran 

(Floodings are a big issue
Looking for support, we can find solutions
Uniting the LUPE together with ARISE
and with bcWorkshop they will be solved)

The project is set to culminate this fall with a final celebration with one final song recorded that expresses the community’s continued mobilization to make positive changes, as well as to solidify the two colonias’ pride for the efforts they have put forth to make El Sonido del Agua a tool, artistic expression, and a movement to fight for equitable infrastructure. Stay tuned for more updates from this exciting project!