Now that I am a feminist, what do I do with rock'n'roll? (Audio)
Short delivery with a column read aloud.
(Listen in English at the end of this post)
It's the weekend.
But not just any weekend. This weekend in my beloved Bogota is the biggest outdoor rock festival in Latin America: Rock al Parque. Beyond the lineup of bands or the controversy of each year, this time of the year reminds me of all the times when I was completely devoted to rock music, and being a metalhead was the core of my personality. I have been thinking a lot about it, if I were in Bogota would I come back to Rock al Parque?
The answer is elusive because a year ago, before the festival, I did a feminist act that crumbled the rock and alternative music scene in Colombia. Today I know that the quake was for the better. I asked the alt-rock public radio station in Colombia to stop sexual harassment by establishing and socializing a protocol. It was about actions more than words. A year later, more than 30 women spoke after me: the guy who harassed me remained silent even when more than 5 women also pointed at him and my ex-boss was fired due to accusations against him as well.
A year later we know that no matter how rock and alternative the scene is, sexual harassment is something that keeps happening every time someone decides to ignore it. That's why I say it was a shock for the better. I knew that at the time there were people on social media who talked about "attacking" the station during its broadcast at Rock al Parque. That did not happen, still, I was against that idea. Truth is: the public radio threw my colleagues to the lions without editorial guidance or training. I know that many other people stopped listening to the station because of what happened and I know that a couple of people I admired decided to cancel me without saying why. Still, I think coming out of fear and raising my voice was the most punk thing I’ve ever done.
So yeah, time passed and suddenly is Rock al Parque again so I wrote about all of this to process one question: Now that I’m a feminist, What do I do with Rock 'n' roll? The article was published just yesterday in Revista Volcánicas. If you have a feminist friend, you have a girlfriend, friend or sister who is a rocker, this article is for you. It came from my heart. In honor of all the metalhead Lauras.
That's today's opinion.
Now the happiest moment. You asked, I deliver: this Substack is shorter because it is meant to be listened to more than read.
Here it is, "What do I do with rock now that I'm a feminist?" In English and Spanish. Out loud. Just my voice, no music or ambi or effects because I want to keep the basics. Step by step.
En Español:
In English, only for your ears:
Next time in Escribir en Voz Alta:
A summary of Resonate Fest in Spanish. Resonate is a festival dedicated to the art of audio storytelling. For now, I highly recommend this summary by Samantha Hodder for her newsletter Bingeworthy.