Ora sí entiendo por qué: Protest, Politics, and Colombian History in the songs of Pedro J. Ramos

Abstract

This thesis seeks to understand how the music of the lawyer and notary Pedro J. Ramos tells the story of Colombian history in the middle of the 20th century. Colombian history from this period is one of bloodshed and political and social turmoil. This thesis couples the existing literature on Colombian politics, economics, agrarian reform, social change, and democracy, with several songs that Pedro J. Ramos wrote during his lifetime, connecting him to a much more expansive political history than exists. Ramos’ political status was never one of fame, but his achievements as a local songwriter telling the story of Colombian life serve simultaneously as a local perspective of Colombian history as well as a more panoramic view of the social happenings in Colombia. For the purposes of this work, I have chosen three subjects: agrarian reform, student protest, and petroleum exploitation. In the first chapter, I contextualize Colombian political systems and the development of agrarian reform policies that shaped future political standoffs. I use Ramos’ Dígame por qué doctor as the song that speaks most closely to the plight of peasant farm workers. In the second chapter, I explore the evolution of student protests in the city of Cali from the 1960s into an explosion of protest in 1971, as well as the enormous show of solidarity from students across the country. I use Ramos’ fiery Ora sí entiendo por qué to connect the experiences of farmers explored in chapter I to students’ revolutionary spirits. Finally, in the third chapter, I diverge from the concept of one single song. I seek to understand Ramos’ complex understanding of his home nation through various songs. I first explore petroleum exploitation by foreign multinational companies how local towns like Ortega fell by the wayside, even with hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil being produced on that land and use the allegorical lyrics in Ramos’ Qué es Macondo to explore this exploitation. I continue by exploring other works that demonstrate Ramos’ love for his country and love for the traditions of his country. Songs may be short in duration but have immeasurable potential to affect those who listen. This work seeks to interweave historical narratives of Colombian politics with one lawyer’s musical understanding of his lived experience.