© Peluquería Cover photograph: “Tres colonias” Barbershop. Tehuantepec st., between Monterrey y Medellín, Col. Roma, Mexico City. Georgina Mexía-Amador, 2011.
©Micolo’s Barbershop is a three monthly nonprofit on-line publication. Authors are responsible for the texts they sign. Editors do not necessarily share the points of view of the authors. No. register 04-2011-082211030200-203 (Mexico, 2011).
Direction, edition and design Georgina Mexía-Amador Translators Georgina Mexía-Amador Fabiola Mercado Nayelli Pérez Editorial committee César Abril Jan Markus Amundsen Contributors Carlos Ascencio Walter Keller-Kirchhoff Marisol Vázquez
Photo: Transit signal in Insurgentes Av., Mexico City. ©Georgina Mexía-Amador.
5 Preliminary words 6 Installing in the Genealogies. Predecessors and Contemporaries: El Renacimiento •Georgina Mexía-Amador 11 Travels and Literature: NEPAL •Walter Keller-Kirchhof and Alexandra David-Neel 37 THEATER 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company’s A Doll House •Yoni Oppenheim 40 The Tale of Heike. A War Tale of Samurai Japan •Carla del Real 44 Texts in Mazahua: “Töjö/Song” and “Un t’ii ñeje ne dyáá/The Boy and the Mountain” •Lizeth Rodríguez 48 MUSIC International Music Fair, Guadalajara, Mexico, 2011 •Carlos Ascencio 52 The Graveyard of Pomuch, Campeche •Jesús Morago 59 in gestation: “The Geraniums’ Little Grave” •Guadalupe Vera Girona, España. “A Place for Dreaming” •Joan Llensa. 63 REVIEWS “Riding in a Cadillac” •Guillermo Sánchez Cervantes 65 Contributors
Photo: Light posts in Insurgentes Av., Mexico City. ©Georgina Mexía-Amador.
For second time we open the doors of this barbershop, incorporating urban presences such as transit signals, light posts, graffiti, as well as stickers and stencils, two representatives of what has been called street art. Just as we promissed in our former issue, we now bring the first article on predecesor and contemporary literary magazines, beginning with the publication considered as a pioner in the history of Mexican literature: El Renacimiento (The Renaissance), founded by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano in 1869. Afterwards, you will find in our section ―Travels and Literature‖ a catching-eye footage of Nepal by our German photographer Walter Keller-Kirchhoff. From New York, Yoni Oppenheim tells us about his experience as dramaturg and theater director when adapting Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House in a modern Jewish context. Afterwards, Carla del Real offers us an excellent article on The Tale of Heike, whose context is samurai Japan. This if followed by a couple of interesting texts in Mazahua, a Mexican indigenous language, written by Lizeth Rodríguez. Our contributor, Carlos Ascencio, offers an article on the International Music Fair (FIM in Spanish), in which he questions the organization and the offers in this sector of culture. Since this issue comprehends November, we devote some sections to the Day of the Dead, one of the most important events in Mexican calendar during such month. Jesús Morago takes us to the particular Mayan graveyard of Pomuch, Campeche, while Guadalupe Vera, in the section ―in gestation‖, shares a harsh short story about the dead of a child. In the same section of novel writers, we have Joan Llensa and his pictures portraying his native Girona, Spain. Last but not the least, in our section of reviews Guillermo Sánchez Cervantes delights us with his notes on the last novel by Álvaro Enrigue, Decencia. Thank you for your preference. MICOLÓ
Photo: Stencil on a post in Insurgentes Av., Mexico City. ©Georgina Mexía-Amador.
INSTALLING IN THE GENEALOGIES PREDECESSORS AND CONTEMPORARY
El Renacimiento Mexico, 1869 Text and translation by Georgina Mexía-Amador
We start this section devoted to Mexican literary magazines with an important predecessor: El Renacimiento (The Renaissance), foundation stone of our literature. (All the images have been taken from the facsimile edited by the UNAM —National Autonomous University of Mexico— in 1979.)
writers from both sides could reunite, leaving aside their
A
s we said in our former issue, Mexican literature is to
political differences. This was one of his merits. The other one,
be found in the magazines. However, all of them are
was the attempt of founding and authentic Mexican literature,
either in the forgotten aisles of the libraries or have
which so far had only copied European models. We shall not mistake
been published in thick and
copy
with
influence;
Altamirano
boring facsimiles. That is why we wanted to
himself distinguishes each of them: the former
write this series of short articles in order to
was
approach the curious readers to our literary
necessary, evident. So, El Renacimiento, just
magazines.
as its name signals, meant an artistic and
unthinkable,
while
the
second
was
by
literary search where differences could be
Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, appeared in
forgotten in order to build a Republic of Letters.
January of 1869. Mexico had already been
And in that almost destroyed country, in
through the Independence war, the French
gestation, Altamirano concluded that what
and US interventions, and it had been two
Mexican people needed was education, and so
years since Maximilian of Habsburg had
he poured in his publication his moralist ideas.
been fusilladed. Amidst this confusion and
For us, literature is not a vehicle for teaching,
war, Altamirano and his fellow writers had
and so his arguments can seem out of date,
to leave the Muse for a while in order to
such as his strong criticism against the Can-
seize their weapons and defend their
cán and the Zarzuela. However, in his context,
El
Renacimiento,
founded
country. Once the Republican government
Page of El Renacimiento
Altamirano was right and thought that drinks,
of Benito JUárez was reestablished, peace was found and
specially pulque (the beverage we are nowadays rescuing
writers opened a ―temple‖ for the country they had in common:
from oblivion) was the cause behind people’s ignorance and
literature. But at that time, liberals and conservatives fought
stupidity.
between them, disputes that resulted in the Reform Wars. Therefore, what Altamirano proposed was that in his ―temple‖
The contents of El Renacimiento
the most firm conservatives, contributed with a series of studies
of
indigenous
languages:
huaxteco,
mixteco,
Altamirano and his contemporaries were interested in a
mexicano, mame, otomí, tarasco, zapoteco, tarahumar, ópata,
number of literary genres and topics: national and foreign
cahíta, matlatzinca and totonaco. Archeological studies were
writers, music, science, theater, travels, history, the past…
included as well.
If we talk about the poetry they wrote and published we
Images were an important component, most of them
must say that it was very bad, since men and women were still
litographies, which were included in the publication but not as
clinging to the sentimental language and topics of their time.
integrated with the texts. Foreign landscapes appeared in them
What is interesting, though, are the translations they
as well, since travel chronicles
made of Schiller, Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Lord
were regularly published, such
Byron, from their original languages; sometimes the
as those by Gonzalo A. Esteva
Spanish translation came along the original text, as
written
it happened with a fragment from the Divine
Heidelberg,
Comedy by Dante. Two poems by José Tomás de
Belgium.
during
his
trips
Germany,
to and
Cuéllar are also among the things worthwhile,
But the most important
dealing with his favorite topic: the pollos and pollas
sections were the Chronicle of
(lazy and opportunist urban male and female
the Week, in which Altamirano
youths).
himself made a recount of the
But other than this, poetry offers no more
social,
civic
and
cultural
interest. Since the publication tried to emphazise a
happenings in the 19th century
nationalistic spirit, an important trend was Mexican
Mexico City. He commented on
landscapes,
the National Day, the Day of the
preferably
the
indigenous
ones:
Pátzcuaro, Jalapa, Tizapán waterfall, and poems in
Dead,
praise of the volcano of Colima and of the ruins of
shows, moral matters, books
Palenque. In this nationalistic furor, Francisco Pimentel, one of
Litografía de El Renacimiento.
concerts,
theatrical
and even the presidential agenda. These chronicles are
El Renacimiento had a second epoch, starting from
invaluable documents if we want to learn about life during that
September of 1869. Altamirano selled the publication because
time.
of economic reasons (the very well-known story to Mexican Another
interesting
section
was
the
Theatrical
literary magazines), and he became redactor; F. Díaz de León
Magazine by Manuel Peredo, in which operas, dramas and
and Santiago White became editors. The section of the former
even zarzuelas were talked of. We also find the Fashion
epoch remained the same, except for the Fashion Magazine.
Magazine, whose target was the female readers.
Amongst the contents, it is remarkable an interesting
Altamirano incorporated the Bibliographical Bulletin, in
article by Cuéllar, entitled ―La literatura nacional‖ (―National
which all the literary, scientific or political novelties were
Literature‖), which is an attempt of tracing the history of
reviewed. The section of Mexican Dates was under the pen of
Mexican literature from the Aztecs till their present time.
Ignacio Cornejo, who gathered week by week all the dates
However, the most important feature of this second epoch
worthy of being remembered in Mexico, according to his own
is when Altamirano determines the end of El Renacimiento and
criteria.
recognizes it as the incitator for the emergence of new literary
Justo Sierra and Altamirano worked on literary studies
magazines in other spots of the country. But we had to wait
on Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Lamartine; Francisco
some years for the emergence of its undoubtful heir: the
Pimentel wrote one about Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Novels
Revista Azul, founded by Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, which was
were also published periodically, whose titles are nowadays
already installed in the cosmopolitism of the first years of the
forgotten because of their lack of attraction. However, we find
Porfiriato and the one that inaugurated Modernism in Mexico
amongst them Clemencia, by Altamirano, the last Romantic
and Latin America.
novel in Mexican literature. In this aim of covering as much topics as posible, it is interesting that there is an article devoted to the dinosaurs, ―pre-diluvium monsters‖, as well as other specimens being discovered by paleontologists. The author of such article is the German Oloardo Hassey.
Photo: Urban Art, Insurgentes Av., Mexico City. ©Georgina Mexía-Amador. © Mr. Fly
Travels and Literature
Women procession in Kathmandu, the main city of Nepal.
in the top of the World: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan Pictures: Walter Keller-Kirchhoff/Texts: Alexandra David Neel/ Translation from Spanish: Georgina MexĂa-Amador
NEPAL In this issue the photographic work of Walter Keller-
As every woman of her time, she confronted
Kirchhoff takes us to Nepal. These images taken at
prohibitions, and even more as a Westerner in her
the beginnings of 2011 are accompanied by
dealing with traditional men of India y Nepal.
fragments of the diary by Alexandra David-Neel,
Her impressions and her way of thinking are those of
Belgian woman who travelled to Nepal in 1949,
a traveler, not of a tourist, and she always shows a
already converted to Buddhism and speaker of
great respect and wisdom for the culture and religion
Tibetan.
of those remote places, which remain unknown and alien to us.
―—You will see —he continued— cities, monuments, all the things that any foreign tourist allowed to enter Nepal can see. But there is another Nepal… a Nepal dating from thousands and thousands of centuries, and whose vestiges are still perceptible for those who have been able to enhance their perception faculties and have acquired new senses.‖
Patan main square, in Kathmandu valley, with its pagoda-like buildings.
Old man in Bhaktapur, in Kathmandu Valley. The features of the ancient native tribes of the Himalaya are easily distinguishable in his face.
Poster seller in the Tamel area of Kathmandu. Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Durga‌ and Mona Lisa.
Buddhist-style sculptures worshipped in a street of Kathmandu. With red tika on the forehead, the god contemplates.
Women in a ritual in Kathmandu. Prayers, incense and tika on the forehead. Marigolds hang from a corner. They do not condemn with their glances our scrutiny of the divine.
Woman sitting in the porch of a traditional house in Bhaktapur. Meanwhile, the dog dreams… ―We are told that Nepal derives from Nê, a wise man who ruled the country in very ancient times.‖ (A. David-Neel)
Religious procession in Bhaktapur, ―the city of the worshippers‖. The wind does not move the stony moustaches of the guardians… but their eyes do look at us.
The same religious procession in Bhaktapur. Now the seashells sing.
Buddhist stupa of Swayambunath in Kathmandu. ―Swayambhu is the Buddha who ―gave birth to himself‖ or that ―exists for himself‖. […] The masters of the esoteric schools teach that Swayambu-flame is a symbol which designates energy.‖ (A. D-N)
Jug seller.
―—Nepal —he continues— is a land highly favored by the gods. The gods have formed it between the mountains, building valleys and obliging the mountains to let the water they kept run so that the rivers bathe the valleys…‖ (A. D-N).
Women in a balcony in Kathmandu. Are they only looking at the street or was that the place, when they were young, from where they wished to be looked at by someone?
Stone lion and Hanuman in Bhaktapur. The sacred beasts‌
We are being watched from the other world, where time is a cycle of reincarnations.
The Buddhist stupa of Pashupatinath in Kathmandu. Children are being initiated in the knowledge of Buddha. The flags are of Tibetan influence, not far away from here. The Tibetan shamans wrote prayers in pieces of cloth and hung them so that the wind could take them to the deities. Then, Buddhism adopted this practice.
Buddhist monk standing on the esplanade of the Pashupatinath stupa. Oh, monk, if you cover yourself thus from the sun, what will you do when you contemplate Buddha’s blaze?
The eyes of the Buddha of Pashupatinath.
The sacred bell of Pashupatinath. Whom shall we invoke?
The traditional square of Bhaktapur.
―I feel horror for those programs scheduled by others to determine my movements. No matter how kind and well-intentioned you are, you cannot guess what I am interested about, what I wish to see and which are the things that do not interest me in the least.‖ (A. D-N)
Old man in Bhaktapur The transience of human life: always standing between light and shadow.
Wooden carved door, with rests of tika and marigold.
―—Why are you dressed as our sadhus do?— he asks me almost angry. —I am a Buddhist sadhui. —But you are a foreigner … Have you
been
allowed
to
enter
Nepal?... —Yes. His face darkens even more. —It is incredible! It should not be allowed to the barbarians to enter this country.‖ (A. D-N).
Street seller of bangles and necklaces. For the Nepali women, the color of the sari must match with that of the bangles, the earrings and the bindi with which they adorn the forehead. Each wrist must carry at least five bangles, all of them of the same color. And the sound they produce is regarded as a coquetry.
Newspapers stand in a bazaar in Kathmandu. How will it be to read a rock magazine in Devanagari?
Typical house in Bhaktapur. Let’s gaze the world through these windows!
Man who has gone to the temple with flowers, tika on the forehead and the typical male Nepali hat, the dhaka topi.
Theater by Yoni Oppenheim
24/6: A Jewish Theater Company’s A Doll House TORVALD: Nora—can I ever be more than a stranger to you? NORA: (picking up her Megillah – Book of Esther) Oh, Torvald—it would take the greatest miracle of all— TORVALD: What would that miracle be? NORA: Both you and I would have to transform ourselves to the point that—Oh, Torvald, I’ve stopped relying on miracles. TORVALD: But I do believe. It’s Purim. Tell me! Transform ourselves to the point that—? NORA: That our life together would be a true marriage. (She breaks out of the performance square, kicking candy, and opens the door and walks through it, kissing the mezuzah on the door.) TORVALD: (sinks down). Nora! Nora! (Looks around and gets up) Empty. She’s gone. (Picking up her headscarf and smelling it, a feeling of hope washes over him.) The greatest miracle— BALLADEER: (singing) I am free/ I am free/I am free/No more cages for me/Free as a bird, Free as can be./Songbird/Yes you've found your song to sing/You were singing for your supper/Had a taste for finer things./Songbird/Now you know what song to sing/And you can spread your wings. NORA slams the door shut behind her. Blackout. (Excerpt from A Doll House Adapted by: Yoni Oppenheim, music and lyrics by: Bronwen Mullin, All Rights Reserved 2011)
s the last moments of my adaptation attest, 24/6:
Norway, whereas ours are 21st-century New York Modern
A Jewish Theater Company’s A Doll House was
Orthodox Jews celebrating the holiday of Purim in the
no ordinary production of Ibsen’s play. Ibsen’s
aftermath of the financial crisis and the Madoff scandal.
A
19th
Norwegians
Ibsen’s play lies at the heart of modern social drama. Our
celebrating Christmas at the dawn of private banking in
production included elements of the traditional Purim
original
characters
are
Century
spiel, which lies at the origin of the socially engaged
Mitsuya Mori’s highly successful and very memorable
Yiddish theater tradition, along with interwoven texts from
Japanese production Double Nora, a modern Noh play
the Bible which were chanted by Nora as her tarantella.
based on A Doll’s House. It opened up for me the
In a theater landscape which is largely secular and
possibilities as a director in adapting Ibsen across
where performances on Friday nights and Saturday
cultures, while making it highly resonant to a modern
matinees are de rigueur, we are a company of actors,
audience. Later in my studies, I learned that the one book
directors, designers, playwrights, and musicians pursuing
Ibsen admitted to reading and influencing his work, and
theater as our vocation despite being Sabbath observant.
which still sits on his desk in his apartment which is now
As a home for Sabbath-observant Jewish theater artists,
the Ibsen Museum, is the Bible. My production analyzed
we aim to balance our distinct religious traditions while
Ibsen’s play through the lens of the Book of Esther and
fully engaging and contributing to the modern world in
simultaneously, deconstructed the biblical story though
which we live. Ibsen’s play provided us with a forum to
the lens of A Doll House. Finally, I discovered Ibsen’s
explore these issues and the challenges they present to
deep affinity for the Jewish people which was expressed
our community. It also allowed us to present a classic
in his letters to his contemporary Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
play to an audience of whom surprisingly many were not
and to Danish-Jewish critic Georg Brandes. In the Jewish
familiar with this, Ibsen’s most popular play.
people, Ibsen found a model and inspiration for
Resetting Ibsen’s play into a modern Jewish
maintaining one’s unique identity despite the challenges
culture is not as far fetched as it might sound to some.
of an exilic existence. We at 24/6: A Jewish Theater
The production itself was inspired by several experiences
Company in turn, have found inspiration in Ibsen’s words
I had doing my Masters in Ibsen Studies at the University
and works, and have created a home for Sabbath
of Oslo’s Centre for Ibsen Studies. Whilst in Oslo I saw
observant theater artists, whose work and voices are too often exiled from the world of the theater. 24/6 A Jewish Theater Company http://twentyfoursix.weebly.com
A Doll House Scene 1 Torvald: Leor Hackel Nora: Etta Abramson (Nora is wearing her Queen Esther crown. She is holding her copy of The Book of Esther and a traditional food package which people give one another on Purim. Torvald is wearing a yarmulke (skull cap) on his head.) TORVALD: ...All these snacks are making me hungry. When did you get this stuff? NORA: After I brought Ivar and Emmy to school. Bob’s still asleep. TORVALD: You shouldn’t be spending so much money on this stuff. NORA: Chanting from Esther 9:22 or 9:19 “…sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor.” TORVALD: Mockingly chanting back in the same melody ―I don’t think the Bible had personalized M&Ms in mind.‖ Nor fancy costumes. Anyway, until my new job at the bank starts we should be the ones getting gifts for the poor.
The Tale of Heike, A War Tale of Samurai Japan samurái On a moonless pitchdark night, two generals of a samurai clan discuss the strategy they should follow. Regardless of the pouring rain and the roaring sea, one of them decides to go on board. His objective is to attack and surprise the enemy, who is in a nearby island… Text and translation from Spanish: Carla del Real
T
he Tale of Heike (Heike Monogatari) is considered one of the two greatest works of Japanese literature, along with The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari). The Heike has been called an “epic”, but it is not correct to qualify it with this term. Even though the Heike has some characteristics of this genre, “epic” is a word used to qualify some works of Western literature. Therefore, the term monogatari is prefered over “epic”. The monogatari is a Japanese literary genre that designates literary works written in prose. Carlos Rubio López, one of the translators for the Heike Spanish edition by Gredos—one of the few Spanish translations that have been done of this work—explains that the Heike belongs to the gunki monogatari or “war tales” genre, of the bun-hōshi or the “bonze literature” kind, played by the biwa-hōshi or “lute bonzes.” These bonzes were blind priests that used to
recite the 12 books that make up the Heike, but only the most accomplished ones were allowed to recite the epilogue. They sang the Heike for all kinds of public throughout Japan—the emperor and courtiers, people from all trades, people that lived in far away provinces, and so on. The Heike Monogatari is a work that has its origins in the oral tradition, and is a product of several authors. The first version of the written text is attributed to Yukinaga and Shokubutsu—a learned monk and a blind musician, respectively. Yoshida Kenkō, a Japanese author and Buddhist monk, asserts in his work Essays in idleness: “Yukinaga wrote the Heike Monogatari and showed it to a blind musician called Shokubutsu, who recited it […] Shokubutsu was a native of the eastern region. Yukinaga ordered him to gather information on samurais, archery, horses, and war strategy, and then he wrote it all down.” Throughout time other details such as Buddhist teachings, family trees, and so on, were added. The definitive Heike version Background image: Heike monogatari manuscript Rare Books of the National Diet Library http://www.ndl.go.jp
was dictated in 1371 by Akashi Kakuichi, who led one of the two schools of Heike balladry that existed back then: the Ichikataryū school and the Yasaka-ryū school, Kakuichi’s school.
Heike monogatari film version poster. http://ja.wikipedia.org
The Heike’s plot is based on historical events that took place in twelvecentury Japan. It covers a period of 90 years (1131-1221), but it focuses in the 1167-1192 period. It tells the rise and fall of the Heike (or Taira) clan into the hands of the rival clan, the Genji (or Minamoto) clan. Instead of paying attention to the characterization of
characters, the Heike intends to portray the ephemeral aspects of earthly issues through a parable that can be appreciated in the opening lines of the Heike prologue: “the bell of the Gion temple tolls into every man’s heart to warn him that all is vanity and evanescence”, and the closing lines of the epilogue: “as the evening sun was about to go down behind the mountain, the bell of Jakkō-in temple began to toll.” It does not intend to portray heroic deeds. The Heike has no heroes. The characters give the reader an impression of deep humanity. They make good and bad decisions and suffer their consequences. It could be said that this is one of the religious motifs of the Heike: the belief in karma contained in the Buddhist teachings, a religion that, along with Shintoism, has been practiced in Japan for centuries. As a result of the law of karma, the fall of the Heike clan is produced, an event that leads to another motif of the Heike: the social motif. The Heike reflects the struggle for political power that existed between these two powerful samurai clans and the substitution of one group by another. Even though the Heike does not have a protagonist, the character of Taira no Kiyomori stands out, for he is the one who sets into motion the action that happens throughout the Heike.
Kiyomori is a Heike general who is rapidly promoted due to his victories and thus rises quickly in the social scale. He leads the Heike clan to a splendorous age. As a result of becoming prosperous in court and enjoying the favor of the emperor, Kiyomori becomes arrogant, proud, tyrannical, and ambitious. Not only the rival clans are affected by Kiyomori’s excessive and despotic power and ambition, but also the governors from far away provinces, Buddhist monks living at reclusive locations, and the population in general. His family enjoys prosperity for 20 years, but in so far as Kiyomori’s power, influence and arrogance grow, his enemies at court, temples, the capital, and provinces multiply. Kiyomori dies before witnessing the devastation and fall of his clan caused by the bad karma, which reaches all his descendants.
Heike monogatari illustrated version detail. http://sonic.net
Despite this, Kiyomori is not an antihero, for the Heike has no heroes. The characters are not idealized, not even the most balanced, humble, wise and sensible ones—for instance, Shigemori, Kiyomori’s son. A man can be appreciated in Kiyomori, nothing more. He makes mistakes and takes good decisions; he has virtues and defects. The same could be said of all the characters that appear throughout the Heike. General Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Kiso Yoshinaka are characters that also attract the reader’s attention because of their actions. They both are samurais that belong to the Genji clan. They stand out in battle due to their bravery, daringness, and their victories in the battlefield, but also due to arrogance and conceit, in Yoshinaka’s case. The Heike Monogatari has inspired other branches of art, such as painting and theater. For instance, the portrayal of several Heike scenes on the Heike Monogatari emaki (paint roll) or on ukiyo-e paintings (Japanese woodblock prints), and the Noh plays devoted to Heike chapters. Again, Carlos Rubio López provides information on this point. An example of a Noh play based on the Heike is “Atsumori”. This play follows the “The
Death of Atsumori” (9, XVI) in which samurai Naozane regrets having to behead his enemy—a young Heike samurai who looks like his son. Carlos Rubio also points out that Noh theatre is “the illustrious depositary of the Heike topics, for most of the 16 Noh plays on military issues (shuramono) are based on Heike episodes and many of them follow faithfully the Heike Monogatari text.” Furthermore, the kōwakamai—musicals with dance— that descends from one of the Noh divisions, has as protagonists in 33 of its 50 musical dramas the Heike samurais. Contemporary examples of the validity of Heike Monogatari are all those manga (or Japanese comics) that tell the Heike story throughout their vignettes.
Dan-no-ura crab. http://meimikaligawa.blogspot.com
Dan-no-ura crabs painting. http://suzukiroshi.sfzc.org
As a curious data related with the Heike, there is the heikegani (Heike crabs), a species of crab. The face of a samurai can be observed on the shell of these crabs. The legend tells us that the heikegani are the reincarnation of the spirits of the Heike samurais who were defeated and died in the battle of Danno-ura—the place where the definite battle against the Heike took place. More information on this topic could be found in Carl Sagan’s video “Heike crabs” (in Cosmos: A Personal Voyage series), in which he explains this process of artificial selection, where the Heike crabs are thrown back to the sea by the fishermen.
© Mr. Fly
Until now, indigenous writers have needed to write in Spanish to reach more readers. Therefore, we are glad to include a Spanish speaker who has ventured to write in Mazahua, one of the several indigenous languages in Mexico.
TEXTS IN MAZAHUA by Lizeth Rodríguez Translation from Spanish by Nayelli Pérez Photo: wall of an abandoned house in Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico. © Georgina Mexía-Amador.
Song
Dyezho Tuxkuku Mexe Mijñi Dyoo Miño Pale
Swallow Owl Spider Squirrel Dog Coyote Grandfather
Male Tata Nana Yo t'ii ¡Texeji töjöbi! Töjöbi por májá ¡Múbúbi mákjojme! Töjöbi, Töjöbi, Töjöbi Yo ubi, nu yoo, yo ntee Nanka ajense mixtjo Ñe nu universo pesi jyarù, zana, seje. Jmutúji töjö ngek`ua d'akú pokjú yotza de las cosas. ¡Dador de la vida!
Grandmother Father Mother Children Everybody sing! Sing for joy Happy hearts! Sing, sing, sing Animals, flowers, people… Because the sky is beautiful And the Universe has the Sun, the Moon, the Stars. Join your song to thank the Creator of all things, Giver of Life!
The Boy and the Mountain For Emilio
Negeko e Emilio
Nzhodú San Felipe bi na dyáá chjüü Papalotepec, mbeka gi manji jango k’e nujnu nacía e jiarú. Ra xörä ra xörä ñeje nzháa – nzháa e jiarú kjaji rutina. E Pablo kja mi tsike poblador de San Felipe ñeje páa nudya mi janda zinzapjú tzentzontle o mamaze: “Ri n era magó nujnu ngeko janda e jierú mbese.” Ma xörä nijeje, Pablo go nanga punku jingua jonxora tmó chjimechi ñeje ndeje ngeko e viaje ñeje emprendío e recorrido tsike rrekua. Janga o sétre e dyáá, go ndese asta e axeze ñeje s’etre sorprendió texe ko o’soo janda su alrededor. ¡Vista na Hermosa! Numa jñurú janda e paisaje, e jiarú comenzó mbese ñeje e Pablo se emocionó tanto, tanto, k’e ndizi paaka ndeseze e dyáá ngeko contemplar el nacimiento e jiarú ñeje janda yo súú volar por e jense.
Near the town of San Felipe there was a mountain called Papalotepec, of which some people say it is the place where the Sun is born. Every morning and every sunset the Sun followed its routine. Pablo was a young inhabitant of San Felipe and, one day, while he was seeing the flight of a tzentzontle, he thought “I want to go there to see how the Sun is born.” Next morning, Pablo got up long before sunrise; he took some bread and water for his trip and started his way on a small donkey. When he arrived at the mountain, he climbed up until the top and, on arriving there he got surprised of everything that he could see all around. It was an awesome sight! Then, when he sat down to admire the landscape, the Sun started rising and Pablo got thrilled so much that, from that day on, he climbs that mountain to gaze at the rising of the Sun and to look at the birds flying in the sky.
Photo: Newspapers stand in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ŠGeorgina MexĂa-Amador.
International Music Fair From June 16th to 19th the 1st International Music Fair took place in Guadalajara, Jalisco (Mexico), and there are still many things hard to digest… By Carlos Ascencio/Translation to Spanish by Nayelli Pérez
I
t is hard to approach to four days of intense activities taking place in different places at the same time. So, more than a detailed summary, this article is the
product of what one of the modest people present at the fair, could watch.. The offer of the Fair consisted in concerts, lectures, showcases, workshops, screenings, clinics (spaces where a musician talks about his experience with the instrument he plays), and encounters in different places in Guadalajara, such as Expo Guadalajara, Teatro Diana, Cine Foro de la Universidad de Guadalajara, a couple of hotel’s lounges, and half a dozen venues. However, most of the people present preferred to attend the stands where alcoholic drinks were distributed for free, courtesy of the sponsors.
Café TACVBA Photo taken from the band’s oficial Facebook.
The initiative of setting up the International Music Fair (FIM by its Spanish acronym) came from the
capitalized, for instance, having a guest country for the FIM.
Universidad de Guadalajara, the same architects of the
Without a doubt, it was a good beginning, since,
International Book Fair (FIL by its Spanish acronym) of
long time ago, our country needed a place where different
Guadalajara, one of the most important fairs of the world
characters involved in what we have called music could
(according to its own organizers), and the International
meet: from the performer to the audience, not forgetting
Film Festival (FIC by its Spanish acronym) of the same
the manager, the producer, the editor, the distributor, the
city. Their intention is to raise the FIM to the same level of
person who deals with royalties, the promoter, the
those two events, that call thousands people every year
sponsor, and all the ―-or‖ that you can imagine, and that
in Guadalajara.
can be behind the show business.
Nevertheless, the FIM still lacks a personality of its own and of a focused offer for the different kinds of public that assisted, which resulted to be a quite mixed audience, since you could find experienced musicians with enthusiastic beginners, opera singers with trash metal vocalists, and programmers of great auditoriums with bands playing for a small group of relatives and friends. That is to say, it might seem that there had not been a true link between the exhibitors and the audience, only in the field of their hopes. It is also regrettable that some teachings learned from the organization of the two events already mentioned (the FIL and the FIC) were not
JAIME LĂ“PEZ http://metropoliblog.com
I use the words ―show business‖ instead of ―art‖, ―cultural
18. Unlike participations performed in other events such
or aesthetic expression,‖ since beyond all the good things
as the Indie-O Music Awards or the last edition of Vive
that this first FIM brought, the commercial aspect was the
Latino –during the tribute to Cerati– this band of
one that lead the sails of this ship. The main debate of
experienced musicians was perfectly assembled, and the
several superb lectures was focused on the ruin of the
sound result of this coupling was excellent. So, the
music industry, the new ways of massive distribution of
question that came up inevitably was if there would be
music, how to make business, marketing, and show
more shows with the mentioned band and members,
business. The fact is that, nowadays, music is a
which, without a doubt, it would be very tempting.
business… a very profitable business. However, the
The FIM laid down an important precedent for what
cultural, social, and academic aspects were the main
will happen in the coming years. Besides, it offers a view
absence of the FIM and, instead of that, topics dealt with
of how music is perceived nowadays, the course music
the
the
will take in a future, and the great challenges, legacy from
obviousness: for example, ―to record or not in a ―major‖
the past. If people want the FIM to be carried out again, it
company?‖ became the question for which hundreds of
will be necessary to make out and include new horizons
teenagers, holding their guitars and dreams under their
and not only to contribute reinforcing the predominant
arm, were expecting the answer attentively. As if that
system, since the word ―music‖ has endless edges and
decision really depended on them, as if it was really an
slopes, and it is an inexhaustible topic. However, if it
option.
continues that way, having four days with a so small
common
place,
the
anecdotal
comment,
Among the most outstanding shows during the FIM, I can mention the one performed by Jaime López
approach on the organizers’ side, it will be impossible to say that it will become a true international music fair..
and his Chilanga Banda, made up, this time, by the members of Café Tacvba, Ramiro del Real, Children, and Andrea Balency in the Teatro Diana on Saturday, June Guadalajara International Music Fair logo http://fimguadalajara.mx
Photo: “No Parking” sign in Insurgentes Av., Mexico City. © Georgina Mexía-Amador.
The Graveyard of POMUCH, Campeche In Pomuch death is almost the end… almost. Jesús Morago Texts and pictures Translation from Spanish by Georgina Mexía-Amador
Why shouldn’t we, the dead ones, enjoy the light?
Who said we were not going to meet again?
Beyond life you have your niche, your window, your watchtower.
Do you know me? You have not stopped looking at me‌
I hope I have ironed the cloth the way you like it.
The cheese bread is being baked. The aroma reaches the graveyard.
in gestation By Guadalupe Vera. Translation from Spanish by Nayelli Pérez
and pity, and after this, I don’t care if they looked at me with sorrow
T
or compassion. What’s more, I don’t even want them to see me. When they finished throwing the last fist of earth, everybody
he head blew up as a melon that is thrown out on the floor. We had no other choice than burying quickly. His mom didn’t
rushed towards his mother to pick her up while she kept screaming, I did
want that; she begged me to keep vigil over him and do some
not. It pleases me that she suffers. I was everything for the boy and he
processions, canticles belched by bitter and unfriendly
was everything for me, and I am annoyed to see María crying. I can’t stop
spinsters. She wanted people crying and go-betweens to meet at home
seeing her with disgust and from a distance. Now I notice how much a
to say the rosary and sing to his soul. What for? He was good. I know that
woman can pretend, to what extent she can use her tears to convince
everybody in the town says I am a heartless brute. Maybe I am.
others. She never loved him so much.
When we carried him in his coffin there were some people who
My boy was a burden for her, she complained constantly because
wanted to help me lift him up. Wood was heavier than him! I let his
she had to clean him up, to get him off to sleep; she was annoyed when
grandmother, my father, and my brother help me for a while. They loved
he had a tantrum, when he did not want to eat, when he asked her to
him too; and I knew the little grave weighed them more for the crushed
play with him, when he laughed a lot on looking at me every time I got
heart, that oppressed us and stopped from walking, than due to what the
from work; and now, it turns out that motherly love came to her with his
coffin weighed on our shoulders.
death disguised as regret… That’s why she wanted us to say the rosaries
The moment we buried him, María wanted to open the coffin to
and that, on the way to bury him, they played drums and trumpets so he
kiss him and say goodnight to him. She yelled “José, José, my baby is
passed away happily. When people die you remember more how good
afraid of darkness!” And she threw herself down on the floor crying,
they were, but above all, what you stopped doing for them. You
mudding the dry ground with her tears and dribs.
remember memories of all your complaints as if they were a flock of black
Of course I didn’t let anybody open the coffin! My kid isn’t any
birds that go for you to take your eyes out and dig you holes in your soul,
fair game and he doesn’t have to raise people’s morbid fascination. They
so happiness can slip away there. I wish everything slips away from her
didn’t love him as I did, they are not sorry about his death as much as I
there!
am. Besides, I knew they wanted to see how his head had left to tell
Even when they buried him I thought that boy loved me so much
another people later, and those to other strangers with faces of horror
that he decided to die so I can free from his mother. He threw himself
from the stairs without anybody watching over him. I heard how his skull
And that thing of drinking alcohol and spending my time to
blew up from outside, where I was making a little chair and a table so
laziness, I decided that I won’t do it. I’m going to work far away from here
that he did not eat on the floor and, however much I tried to run quickly,
and in an honest way, because right now I feel he can watch me all the
the silence of the thud without a scream that came after, soften my legs
time and I’m not going to let him believe he had a bad father. What it’s
up. María didn’t realize just then, until she heard my sharp crying, while I
true is that I already want that everybody gets out of the cemetery and
tried to put the filling in his little head.
leaves me alone for a while to plant some geraniums on the ground that
That’s why I go. No useless rosaries or meals for people crying.
covered him, because he loved to pull them up, although his Mom got
For this death there are no more mourners than me. Today I leave his
angry because he tore them up, because she does like to take care of her
mother, there is nothing that join me to her spine; there are bad women
plants, more than us. I’m going to plant a lot and, wherever he is, I think
who do not love their children. They use their children to have money,
he’s going to like to see his little grave.
attention and even to hold their man. I know about it and that’s why I
Well, yes, maybe I am an insensitive brute as María says, but I’m
leave her. I’m not going to have more children to become her instrument.
not coming back. I don’t care her suffering or how she will manage after. I
I don’t want my blood to become anybody’s walking stick, to get petate1,
just tell all of you I decided that with the first salary I earn in the city, I’m
food, and aguardiente2 for free.
going to tattoo some geraniums on my chest to honor him forever and
Yes! It hurts me a lot to leave the grave with the little cold body,
not having to come to visit his little grave, where there is nothing left,
but he is not there, only the remains of his black and blue skin, a smashed
only remains and the last bond that join me with her, because it’s sure
head, and the most painful memory of what my boy was. I have in my
she is going to keep coming very often, to water the geraniums feeling
head, deep inside, his frank roars of laughter that rang out as a prize
less guilty and being out for people to feel sorry for her and, well, I don’t
when I made him jokes and he made me feel as the man who told the
want to meet her. I can already hear people from the town saying that
best jokes in the world, although I don’t even know who to talk right in
José, who is an animal, left María, who is so good, who loved her boy very
public or in private; but he made me be someone hard-working and keen
much, and that as she can’t get over her boy’s death, she is going to take
to love a lot, and not the animal that everybody thinks I am.
care of his little grave. Poor of my child, even after his death María will keep using him as her walking stick to look for a new brute that believes
1
A bedroll made of woven fibers of palm of petate. 2 An alcoholic drink.
her words and gives her petate, house, aguardiente, and a new baby.
in gestation
A Place for Dreaming Pictures and text by Joan Llensa Translation from Spanish by Nayelli PĂŠrez
Many times we have contemplated a forest or a virgin spot without having really thinking about what these places, apparently ordinary, can give us. Last April I decided to enter a forest near my home. I prepared a bag with all the necessary things for a day trip: light food, water, juice and, of course, my camera. I headed for northeast until the old stone path started disappearing among the undergrowth and the grove. After one hour and a half of trekking, my eyes discovered, in astonishment, a place that it seemed to belong to the movies, where fantastic beings lived hidden from our eyes. The vision of a dark and humid grove, with hundreds of stones white as snow widespread on the ground, made me believe that I was in the world of elves.
I went on my way a little more and, when the forest cleared, the wonder
before
my
eyes
was
bigger: a mantle of all shades of green you can imagine, burst into the sapphire sky. A virgin spot was just near my home. However, of all the emotions that I felt that day, there was one that attracted my attention: I was not as alone as I thought. Maybe it was the illusion or the drunkenness that dreamlike place caused me, but in all moment I felt watched by mythological forest beings: elves, fairies‌ And that feeling took deep roots in my heart as a spear.
REVIEWS: BOOKS
Riding in a Cadillac The new novel by Álvaro Enrigue, Decency, is an attempt to decipher presentday Mexico’s problems, with a story that can be enjoyed at top speed. It was 1996 when the name Álvaro Enrigue began to be heard in the Latin American literary scene. He was a newbie that gained fame with The Death of a Plumber, novel with which he was awarded the Premio de Primera Novela Joaquín Mortiz that year. Then he revealed himself as a great promise in the letters that, until now, has been kept. Borges’ narrative influence, Vila-Matas’ precision, Bolaño’s wild lyricism and, beating now and then, Bryce Echenique’s heart can be felt in his pages. This year he is back with his sixth and most recent novel, Decency, edited by Anagrama. Placed in the 1960s, it depicts an adventure in a Cadillac that travels across Jalisco and Michoacán looking for the paradoxes of the second half of the 20 th century Mexico: How such a degree of violence and impunity was reached? What happened with the ideals of the 60’s? What about the Revolution? This book is about a road trip that aims to recount the Mexican 20 th century in a 24 hours trip. The novel is performed in two stages. The first one is the story of a rich old man called Longinos Brumell—who has built his life in the wrong way—that is kidnapped by two idealistic guerrilla youngsters for being the accidental witness of a terrorist attack against the consulate of the United States. While he is traveling, kidnapped, in the Cadillac, old Brumell is remembering the second story, his story: the boy he was when the revolution exploded in his face, his first cigarette, the first performance of the cinema, the seedy eyes of the Skinny Osorio—his first love—,the first dead.
— By Guillermo Sánchez Cervantes/ Translation from Spanish by Nayelli Pérez.
Photo: Interior of a Buick ca. 1920 © Georgina Mexía-Amador.
“From the beginning I planned on telling two stories that complemented one another as this trip through the west went on. The scoop was about getting together a survivor of the revolution and two guerrilla men of the Liga 23 of September—guerilla that outburst in the country in the 70’s—traveling at 1000 per hour in a Cadillac across Michoacán—says Álvaro Enrigue—. Two trips that run simultaneously, the same as the two levels of the Periferico.” Decency is written with sweat and saliva. It is inhabited by characters that taste as cinnamon and liquor, and villains that, despite their misdeeds, become bosom friends, who captivate the reader with dialogs we would not think possible from such brutal characters, as in a movie by Tarantino: from which would be the best repertory of songs by Roberto Carlos, to how to make believe tequila with piloncillo is the most exclusive wine. A novel that crushes the patriotic myths and take the folklore off the country until leaving it naked. “It is a book that problematizes the great decomposition that the country seems to be suffering; a problem that was brewed in the revolution. The idea of living fast and dying like a hero, the brutal machismo that screws everything, the culture of impunity, the judicial system the serves itself first and the bosses next. A conversation that the writers of my generation have not dared to have with the root it irremediably comes from,” says Enrigue. With tragicomic tones and a humor without concessions, Decency portrays a Mexico of no one, where everybody seems to rule themselves without notion of order or ethics. “My characters have an outrageous idea of what is decent. Theirs is a mercenary moral with which the country was built after the revolution. Here each one is their saint,” he says. Characters that are the emblem of everything that has been done wrong, of how every abuse of the political stratus seems something credible, traditional, and even justifiable. Álvaro Enrigue takes us from the past to the present with complete easiness: virtues of a novelist that writes alone, reads alone, and leaves the responsibility of judging his own narrative to the time. “Decency comes to tell us that we are responsible of the current disaster, that we have gone through a century devotedly cultivating the egg of the serpent,” concludes the writer. Photo: Interior of a Ford Thunderbird 1957. © Georgina Mexía-Amador.
CONTRIBUTORS Carlos Ascencio (Mexico City, 1986). He studies a BA in Musical Education and Ethnomusicology at the ENA (National Music School) of the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico). He contributes at the radio broadcast Mercado Negro which plays Hispanoamerican indie music in 90.9. He has been editor’s assistant in the Indie Rocks! Magazine. He won the second place in the First University Competition of Radio Broadcasting of the UNAM, in the category of musical broadcast. Walter Keller-Kirchhof (Germany, 1951). He is the Head of the Project of Betterment for the North and East of Sri Lanka, sponsored by the governments of Germany and Australia. This project looks for the betterment of the public services of that Asian country. He has also collaborated in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Malasya, Indonesia and Timor Leste. Between 1985 and 2003 he worked as journalist and photographer. Marisol Vázquez (Mexico City, 1979). She has a BA in Pedagogy at the UNAM and a Masters in Educational Informatics. She has labored at the MUCA (University Museum of Arts and Sciences), at the FCE (Fondo de Cultura Económica) and has contributed with Santillana publishing house. She currently directs Arte con Letra. Joan Llensa Aubert (Sant Joan les fonts, Girona, Spain, 1977). He grew up reading the collections “Elige tu aventura” and “La máquina del tiempo”. When he was 14 years old he contributed with his local broadcast (Radio Sant Joan, 107FM), where he produced and presented a variety of programs during 10 years. In 2010 he goes deep in children’s literature creative writing guided by Carmen and Gervasio Posadas. He has published some short stories and is currently working in what he wishes to be his first novel. Lizeth Rodríguez (San Luis Potosí, Mexico, 1991). She is a student of the BA in Hispanoamerican Language and Literature at the UASLP (Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí). She belongs to the RedNELL (National Network of Literature and Linguistics Students) as a delegate of her state. She loves reading and writing, and speaks jñatrjo (Mazahua). Guadalupe Vera (Mexico City, 1976). She studied Law at the UNAM and specialized in intellectual property. She loves literature and writing. She currently lives in Mexico City with her husband and their two kids. Guillermo Sánchez Cervantes (Mexico City, 1983). Since he was a kid he felt a suspicious passion for fiction and books, which led him to study English
Literature at the UNAM. His dissertation dealt with the works of homosexual writer Com Tóibín. He is a frustrated professor, a chocolate lover, who has worked as a freelance translator and currently works as writer and journalist of the Mexican magazine Gatopardo, where he has interviewed artists, politicians, film makers and writers. He also currently conducts the podcast “Contraportada”. Carla Del Real (Mexico City, 1982). She studied Informatics and English Literature at the UNAM. She is a specialist in the translation of texts in English and Spanish. She has worked with researchers in the fields of Buddhism, Psychology and is recently diving in the world of cars. Literature is one of her major interests, especially the Japanese. She loves animals, particularly dogs. Yoni Oppenheim (New York). He is a New York based theater director and dramaturg. He is the founding co-artistic director of 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company. His paternal grandfather, Fritz Werner Oppenheim, was briefly a Weimar Republic Government consular attaché in Veracruz and later Mexico City, before returning to Germany because of challenges leading a religiously observant lifestyle in 1920s Mexico. Jesús Morago (Mexico City, 1957). He graduated in Hispanic Literature at the UNAM with a dissertation on José Revueltas. He has published in several magazines and journals under different pseudonyms. He contributed at the newspapers El Nacional and Uno más uno. He is currently a professor in the Postgraduate program of Visual Arts at the San Carlos Academy of the UNAM. TRANSLATORS Fabiola Mercado (Mexico City, 1981). She has a BA in English Language and Literature from the UNAM, with a specialization in translation. She has worked for the renowned institute Colegio de México, the National Ministry of Education (SEP) and the publishing house Ediciones Culturales Internacionales. She is currently working at the publishing house Editores Mexicanos Unidos, where she labors as style corrector, translator and redactor. Nayelli Pérez (Mexico City, 1982). She has a BA in English Language and Literature from the UNAM, with a specialization in literary criticism. She nowadays works for the publishing group Macmillan.
Photo: “Del Valle”Barbershop ©Georgina Mexía-Amador.
http://lapeluqueriademicolo.weebly.com Facebook: La peluquería de Micoló/Micolo’s Barbershop