Quetzal Urge Artists in the Era of Trump: “Say Something That Means Something”

quetzal-fred-knittel-smithsonian
Quetzal (Fred Knittel/Smithsonian Folkways)

It’s been a little over two months now since President Trump took the oath of office. His first week in office saw numerous protests worldwide, with people of all backgrounds blocking highways in Los Angeles, anarchists punching trust-fund Nazis in the face, and millions of women marching in defense of their rights with the power of the knitted pussy hat.

The protests have dwindled since then (though anarchists punching Nazis is still a regular thing), which leaves one wondering: What comes next after the resistance and the protests? One possible answer lies in Quetzal’s latest album, The Eternal Getdown.

“It’s actually a line … on a song called ‘Critical Time’ (Tiempo Crítico),” explains Martha González of the album title. “It’s one of the lines toward the end of the song, which is: How do we initiate our people to get down? … [For] people who are involved in social justice and the struggle in general, how can we not lose momentum and initiate new people? Social movements aren’t just about putting out fliers but also about creating generative practices, things that also give us energy and don’t just take from us all the time. We’re fighting against something but also creating new things.”

Read more at LA Weekly.

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