Practicing Moral Imagination through Violines and Rhymes
(Original text by Laura Victoria Polanco)
What do hip hop and classical music have in common? Beyond the fact that both are musical expressions, they have become a way to transform the violent narratives of children and young people living in Colombia.
When Amadeus Mozart learned to play the piano at the age of six, only his father and the king of the court of Vienna listened to him play, given that this musical genre was only for the elites. Today, two hundred years after his death and far away from Vienna, in the municipality of Bello, Colombia, classical music has ceased to be a pastime of the courts, and has become instead what surrounds the lives of the children who benefit from Amadeus Foundation.
2020 Colombia Fellow Daniela Ocampo, together with Amadeus Foundation is working with a community living in Tierra Adentro, an area that for years has fallen victim to the violence of criminal gangs and the instability of invisible borders. Confronting these challenges, Amadeus Foundation uses music to replace violence with melodies.
For 32 years, Amadeus Foundation has made music a tool so that hundreds of youth living in vulnerability have the opportunity to think about a different future.
“[The Amadeus methodology] is based on the fact that as we teach the children to play instruments, and as they practice the orchestra, we’re cultivating and strengthening their socio-emotional competencies. So that unconsciously — when working or learning a more difficult scale — that teacher is helping them face the most complex challenges of life,” says Daniela.
When approaching a beat or a repertoire, they are learning to empower themselves — not only as musicians, but in their personal lives, so that they know how to confront a problem at home, a violent situation, or moments of poverty or scarcity.
— Daniela O’Campo, Colombia Acumen Fellow
Not far from this reality, 2019 Acumen Fellow Andrés Felipe González is a hip hop artist, better known as Fares, who leads the group Prisioneros de Esperanza (Prisoners of Hope) in the troubled neighborhood of Las Minas in Cali, Colombia.
50 years ago, hip hop emerged in the black and Latino neighborhoods of New York to criticize racial segregation and has since been part of the Afro-American movement for social justice. Their rhymes speak of nonconformities and their words shed light on the daily struggles of Afro-American communities. Andrés Felipe drops a similar beat. Approximately 10 years ago, he found in hip hop a chance to change his lifestyle and exercise positive leadership in his neighborhood.
Growing up in the violence of Las Minas, Andrés Felipe learned that change was necessary for young people so that they might know about, and have more opportunities to change their realities. Prisoners of Hope transforms the narrative by hosting awareness-raising workshops for the neighborhoods’ youth.
For the kids who come with the intention of doing hip hop or rap, what we do is develop their leadership skills in the process.
— Andrés Felipe González, Colombia Acumen Fellow
“These young people go from being a risk factor in the community — either using or selling drugs — to being proactive factors of change. The young person who was previously selling or consuming drugs on the corner is now one who comes to collaborate with us, participating in activities with children or supporting events for community empowerment,” says Andrés Felipe.
Boldness in the Midst of Uncertainty
In the midst of what Colombia and the whole world experienced as a result of Covid-19, Daniela and Andrés Felipe have faced an even greater challenge: to continue supporting children and young people virtually.
Despite the fact that both the Tierra Adentro and Las Minas neighborhoods are surrounded by urban areas, internet connection is a challenge. Many of the families these youth belong to have to choose between spending money to connect online or putting food on the table. Even so, the desire to pursue music is a strong one.
Amadeus Foundation adapted to the circumstances and continues offering lessons and accompaniment through WhatsApp. Making phone calls to their beneficiaries in Tierra Adentro, and managing to get ahead of the nation-wide lockdown, they were able to lend each young person an instrument to continue their training throughout the pandemic. Nonetheless, these young musicians face a diverse set of adversity at home.
In many of [their homes] there are no cell phones and none of them have computers. Now everyone has turned to making everything virtual, but today more than ever, we realize the great inequality that exists with access to technology, education, and communication tools.
— Daniela O’Campo, Colombia Acumen Fello
“When the situation became so evident, we knew we had to continue. And we decided to make a greater effort to provide support through telephone and not so much via the Internet,” says Daniela.
The young musicians took it upon themselves to record a virtual concert, just like the great performers of the world.
“We thought it was the best way for them to realize their talent no matter where they come from. Whether they are living in poverty or not, whether their violin is borrowed or not. We wanted them to realize that they have everything it takes to get ahead and face those difficulties, and to learn from adversity and overcome it. To show them that they are capable of doing the same as the great orchestras of the world,” adds Daniela.
The result of this determination is a four minute video proving that dedication, discipline, and determination are more than enough to succeed.
Similarly innovative, Prisoners of Hope chose to focus on their youth’s mental health in the midst of the pandemic: guiding them with their current situations at home and accompanying them through psychological support. This temporary lockdown and shift in focus has helped Prisoners of Hope impact more members of the community by sharing information on self-care, which is an essential resource at this time.
Today, Andrés Felipe is working to make the dream of improving connectivity in Las Minas come true by bringing the first computer room to the neighborhood. This way, the group can continue to drive their message of change, despite the pandemic.
What unites Daniela and Andrés Felipe beyond using music as an instrument to change realities and being part of the Acumen Fellows community? They both share a deep desire to sow the seed of believing that doing what is right and not what is easy can transform narratives of violence into stories of peace.
Having the ability to see the world as it is, and being equally brave to see how it could be, is what makes these two social innovators who they are. As they lead a revolution of hope with violins, they practice what we at Acumen call moral imagination and they contribute to our mission of transforming the way we tackle poverty.
