Jaime Garzón in Rhymes: An Anthropological Reading

Abstract

The murder of Jaime Garzón was a massacre. On that August 13, 1999, they killed Heriberto de la Calle, Néstor Elí, Inti de la Hoz, William Garra, John Lenin, Emerson de Francisco, Dioselina Tibaná, and many other characters who filled our laughter. Colombians of that era remember the precise moment when we learned of Jaime's death. The country's blood ran cold. Twenty years after the crime, many questions remain unanswered. Perhaps we will never know who the masterminds were. Just imagining how this crime was possible, and still is, fills us with despair about Colombia. However, those who made life more pleasant invite us to ponder the destiny of a nation. Our duty of remembrance is also a duty of imagination.

This cantata commemorates the feat of a humorist who left his mark on our culture. As the saying goes: singing about one's troubles chases them away. Together, we distance ourselves from tragedies and discover a melody with seeds of the future. Language, when striving for justice, anticipates a form of justice. Violence, if defined as mere aggression, always belongs to others. Through their play, these verses reveal the power of words, the grace that shelters us, and the solace that encourages us.