¿Dónde jugarán los niños? by Maná

Hola, 

¡Feliz verano! Hace muchísimo calor.

Today I would like to share one of the most famous songs in Spanish language popular music in the last 20 years... ¿Dónde jugarán los niños?

First, let's talk about the band. Maná is a group of 4 Mexican musicians who started playing music about 25 years ago. Fher, Alex, Sergio, and Juan are an iconic band in Latin America and Spain, they have had a very successful career with many albums, awards, hit songs, and fans. Their music is a combination of rock, pop, Caribbean rhythms like bachata, reggae, cumbia, and calypso, among others. Their songs have lyrics covering many topics including love, social issues, and environmental topics. 

Maná is involved in supporting many different causes that interest them. They have participated in fundraisers for communities affected by natural disasters. They have contributed to multiple organizations like Alas, who's main goal is promoting and supporting the well-being of infants and young children in Latin America.

One of their biggest concerns is the protection of the environment. They created the "Selva Negra" foundation 20 years ago, with the idea of not only sponsoring the efforts of community organizations to protect habitats and endangered species along the Mexican coast, but also investing in the education of those communities, so by understanding the importance of their sources, they can strive to protect them.

This song gives us the opportunity to introduce the topic of environmental challenges around the Spanish-speaking world. It is very important, especially for those students interested in the AP route to start being familiar with the vocabulary related to the environment and to get exposure to materials that discuss the global challenges affecting it. Besides, it's also part of the cultural framework in which we teach the language. An awareness of the perceptions of communities affected by deforestation, pollution, drought, and climate change in general, is an important part of understanding the daily lives and struggles of people in Latin America and Spain.

The song is telling the story of a Grandfather describing his life and the area he grew up in, how much it had changed in his life time, and how different it is now. It also presents us with the quandary of what kind of world we will be leaving to the next generations... ¿Dónde jugarán los niños? is a wake-up call that the band, Maná, has continuously emphasized to at least two generations. This song brings clearly into focus a major concern for many people in Latin America and Spain.

I am sharing with you the lyrics and translation.

¿Dónde jugarán los niños?

Where will the kids play?

Cuenta el abuelo que de niño el jugó 

Grandpa says that when he was a boy he played 

Entre árboles y risas 

Happily among the trees

Y alcatraces de color

And multicolored cala lilly flowers 

Recuerda un río, transparente y sin olor 

He remembers a clear and pristine river

Dónde abundaban peces 

Where fish abounded

No sufría ni un dolor

Pain was unknown to him

Cuenta el abuelo de un cielo muy azul 

Grandpa tell about a cerulean sky

En donde voló papalotes 

Where he would fly kites

Que el mismo construyó

That he built himself 

El tiempo pasó y nuestro viejo ya murió

Time passed on and our old man died

Y hoy me pregunté 

And today I asked myself

Después de tanta destrucción

After so much destruction

En dónde diablos jugarán

Where on earth will they play?

Los pobres niños

The poor kids

Ay ay ay ay

Ay ay ay ay

En dónde jugarán…

Where will they play?

Se está pudriendo el mundo, ya no hay lugar

The entire world is rotting, and there is nowhere

La tierra está a punto de partirse en dos

The Earth is about to fall apart.

El cielo ya se ha roto

The skies are already destroyed

Ya se ha roto el llanto gris

Polluted rain falls from the skies

La mar vomita ríos de aceite sin cesar

The sea vomits oil polluted rivers without ceasing

Y hoy me pregunté: después de tanta destrucción

And today I asked myself: After so much destruction

En dónde diablos jugarán

Where on earth will they play?

Los pobres niños

The poor kids

Ay ay ay ay

Ay ay ay ay

En dónde jugarán…

Where will they play?

Se está pudriendo el mundo, ya no hay lugar

The entire world is rotting, and there is nowhere

Dónde diablos jugarán

Where will they play?

Los pobres nenes

Poor babys

Ay ay ay ay

Ay ay ay ay

En dónde jugarán…

Where will they play?

Se está pudriendo el mundo, ya no hay lugar

The entire world is rotting, and there is nowhere.

And also here are the links to a video I found in youtube and I use for the students, the song does not have an official video, although Maná has made several videos of the song in their live shows. 
Video here: ¿Dónde jugarán los niños? 

And Maná's Website and their Selva Negra Foundation.

Feel free to write to me if you have any questions or comments. 

I hope this comments will prove useful to you, and will inspire you to create materials for your students.

¡Hasta pronto!

Latinoamerica by Calle 13

Hello!

How is the summer going for you? Hot, isn't? Way too hot for my taste. 

I was thinking about how to re-activate my blog. Sure... another post would do it, and I have several songs in mind. But then I started thinking that maybe the best way would be remembering why I started the blog in the first place.
There is only one reason... I have the idea which has become more of a core belief, that culture is the most important thing humans have to offer. Culture is affected by history and geography, and it also changes them.

Culture is everything and it influences or even determines everything else.
Food is culture, language is culture, philosophical and political ideas are culture, and of course, music is culture as well. And I love music.
So, this blog allows me to present  cultural background and information relative to popular and traditional music from Spain and Latin America; from my perspective, obviously.

I have continued sharing music with my students and I always remind them why. Music is a window to culture, and culture is the frame of language.

With those thoughts in mind, today I am sharing a song that is a true jewel. "Latinoamerica" By Calle 13.
Maybe some of you know it or have used before for your classes. It is five years old. 

This song talks about everything that characterizes the essence of Latin America and its diversity. The geography: valleys, rivers, coasts, deserts, mountains, and the beautiful Andes mountain range. It describes some aspects of the weather and the many colors of all of those landforms, the fauna, and the flora.

The lyrics refers to the physical and historic resilience of the Latin American peoples, the sacking during the period of colonization, and the political corruption that many of these countries have to deal with.

It mentions the food, the crops, soccer, literature, traditions, religion, and finally it talks about some of the characteristics of the Latin Americans, such as their hardworking spirit and dedication; their generosity and hospitable nature as well as their ability to overcome difficulties.

"Latinoamérica" reminds us of the importance of feeling proud of who you are and where you come from, and how crucial it is to know your own history so you won't have to repeat the unpleasant periods.

Calle 13 is a band from Puerto Rico that plays urban music, fusion, and alternative rap. Their songs often refer to social, economic, or political injustices. For this song, they invited 3 folkloric singers to collaborate with them: Totó "La Momposina" from Colombia, Susana Baca from Perú, and Maria Rita from Brazil.

A little gift from me to you...

The lyrics with the translation.
 _______________________

Latinoamérica
By Calle 13

Soy,
I am
Soy lo que dejaron,
I am what they left behind
soy toda la sobra de lo que se robaron.
I am all that is left over after they stole everything
Un pueblo escondido en la cima,
A village hidden on the top of the mountain
mi piel es de cuero por eso aguanta cualquier clima.
my skin is made of leather and that is why I can tolerate any climate
Soy una fábrica de humo,
I am a factory belching smoke
mano de obra campesina para tu consumo
peasant labor to produce what you consume
Frente de frio en el medio del verano,
A cold front moving in in the middle of the summer
“el amor en los tiempos del cólera”, mi hermano.
“Love in the times of cholera”, mi brother.
El sol que nace y el día que muere,
The sun rising and the day ending
con los mejores atardeceres.
with the best possible sunsets.
Soy el desarrollo en carne viva,
I am the living image of development
un discurso político sin saliva.
a vacuous political speech.
Las caras más bonitas que he conocido,
The most beautiful faces I have ever seen
soy la fotografía de un desaparecido.
The photograph of a missing person
La sangre dentro de tus venas,
I am the blood flowing through your veins
soy un pedazo de tierra que vale la pena.
I am a piece of land that has incalculable value
soy una canasta con frijoles,
I am a basket full of beans
soy Maradona contra Inglaterra anotándote dos goles.
I am Maradona vs. England scoring 2 goals.
Soy lo que sostiene mi bandera,
I am the flag pole revealing my flag
la espina dorsal del planeta es mi cordillera.
The back bone of the planet is my mountain range
Soy lo que me enseñó mi padre,
I am what my father taught me
el que no quiere a su patria no quiere a su madre.
Whoever does not love his homeland cannot love his mother
Soy América latina,
I am Latin America
un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina.
a people who can overcome obstacles and still carry on

Tú no puedes comprar al viento.
No one can buy our wind
Tú no puedes comprar al sol.
No one can buy our sun
Tú no puedes comprar la lluvia.
No one can buy our rain
Tú no puedes comprar el calor.
No one can buy our heat
Tú no puedes comprar las nubes.
No one can buy our clouds
Tú no puedes comprar los colores.
No one can buy our colors
Tú no puedes comprar mi alegría.
No one can buy my happiness
Tú no puedes comprar mis dolores.
No one can buy my sorrows.  (twice)

Tengo los lagos, tengo los ríos.
I have lakes, I have rivers.
Tengo mis dientes pa’ cuando me sonrío.
and I have teeth for whenever I want to smile
La nieve que maquilla mis montañas.
And also the snow that adorns the mountains.
Tengo el sol que me seca y la lluvia que me baña.
I have the sun that dries me out and the rain that bathes me
Un desierto embriagado con peyote,
and a desert ecstatic with peyote,
un trago de pulque para cantar con los coyotes,
and a drink of pulque in order to sing along  with the coyotes,
todo lo que necesito.
I have all I need.
Tengo a mis pulmones respirando azul clarito.
My lungs breathe in only the pure air of heaven
La altura que sofoca.
The hights that quicken breathing
Soy las muelas de mi boca mascando coca.
I am the molars in my mouth chewing coca leave.
El otoño con sus hojas desmalladas.
The autum with its falling leaves
Los versos escritos bajo la noche estrellada.
Verses written under starry skies
Una viña repleta de uvas.
A vineyard with vines loaded with clusters of grapes
Un cañaveral bajo el sol en Cuba.
A cane field feeling the warmth of the cuban sun.
Soy el mar Caribe que vigila las casitas,
I am the Caribean sea watching over small houses
Haciendo rituales de agua bendita.
performing the rituals of holy water.
El viento que peina mi cabello.
The wind that combs my hair
Soy todos los santos que cuelgan de mi cuello.
I am each and everyone of the saints that hang from around my neck.
El jugo de mi lucha no es artificial,
The inspiration for my struggle is not imaginary
Porque el abono de mi tierra es natural.
because it finds its strength from deep down in the earth.

Tú no puedes comprar al viento.
No one can buy our wind
Tú no puedes comprar al sol.
No one can buy our sun
Tú no puedes comprar la lluvia.
No one can buy our rain
Tú no puedes comprar el calor.
No one can buy our heat
Tú no puedes comprar las nubes.
No one can buy our clouds
Tú no puedes comprar los colores.
No one  can buy our colors
Tú no puedes comprar mi alegría.
No one can buy my happiness
Tú no puedes comprar mis dolores.
No one  can buy my sorrows

Não se pode comprar o vento
No one can buy our wind
Não se pode comprar o sol
No one can buy our sun
Não se pode comprar a chuva
No one can buy our rain
Não se pode comprar o calor
No one can buy our heat
Não se pode comprar as nuvens
No one can buy our clouds
Não se pode comprar as cores
No one  can buy our colors
Não se pode comprar minha alegria
No one  can buy my happiness
Não se pode comprar as minhas dores
No one  can buy my sorrows

No puedes comprar al sol.
No one can buy the sun
No puedes comprar la lluvia.
No one can buy the rain
Vamos caminando, No riso e no amor,

 we keep moving forward

vamos caminando, No pranto e na dor,

 we keep moving forward

vamos dibujando el camino, El sol...
We keep drawing our own path in life,
No puedes comprar mi vida.
No one can buy my life
LA TIERRA NO SE VENDE.
And my land is not for sale

Trabajo en bruto pero con orgullo,
I work in manual labor jobs but I do it with pride
Aquí se comparte, “lo mío es tuyo”
Here you share what you have, “what is mine is yours”
Este pueblo no se ahoga con marullos,
Our people do not make mountains out of mole hills
Y si se derrumba yo lo reconstruyo.
If my town falls apart I would rebuild it
Tampoco pestañeo cuando te miro,
I would never blink when I look at you
Para que te recuerdes de mi apellido.
just so that you would remember my name
La “Operación Cóndor” invadiendo mi nido,
“Operation Condor” invaded my nest
¡Perdono pero nunca olvido!
I forgive but I never forget.

(Vamos caminando)
Let’s keep moving forward
Aquí se respira lucha.
Here we breathe both conflict and courage
(Vamos caminando)
Let’s keep moving forward
Yo canto porque se escucha
I sing because I know you are listening
(Vamos dibujando el camino)
We keep drawing our own path in life

(Vozes de um só coração)

The voices from one heart
Aquí estamos de pie
Here we stand,
¡Que viva la América!
Long life to The Americas.

No puedes comprar mi vida.
No one can buy my life.

_____________

And here you can find the original video.

And a bonus...
Here is a special version from the 2011 Latin Grammy Awards with the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra from Venezuela, conducted by their director Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel, who also happens to be the director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

It is very moving and exciting, I always get goose bumps. 

The bonus video. 

I hope you find this song interesting and useful.

PS: If you have any questions or comments please feel free to ask or comment here or to my email.