Musica de Honduras:

Karla Lara At Taller Talks Honduras Policy and Melody

El HispanoJames Smith

      Philadelphia– “Music and cultural have always   been essential to the political struggles of the people of the Caribbean and Central America,” said the Honduran singer Karla Lara.

    Appearing at Philadelphia’s Taller Puertorriqueño, Tuesday, Ms. Karla Lara  mixed  a half-dozen jazz infused rhythms with a number of the more folkloric melodies, in a program that was accompanied by pianist José Antonio Velasquez and guitarist and composer Yeco Hernandez.   

   In a repertoire that began with a Honduran song about going to heaven aboard a bicycle, Ms. Karla took the audience on what a Latino Music critic called a “romantic voyage” that concluded with a humorous tune, “Adios,” of a wife threatening to leave her husband because he is too preoccupied with sports on television. 

  Weaving together a program that included a number of the more languid lyrical ballads, the veteran vocalist deftly accented these melodic tunes with the smoky and resonant timbre of her voice.  Forging her political conscience upon a platform of Honduran music, Karla  Lara  was particularly moving when she sang about the violent death of a school teacher, Manuel Flores.

   In the intervals between songs, Ms. Lara entertained the diverse audience with a few observations and commentary on the political situation from the perspective of a member of what she called the “Resistance Movement.” 

    Discussing, to some extent, the vital role of the media in Honduras, Ms. Lara referred to the large daily newspapers which she contends  usually mirror the stances of the current ruling power in Honduras. She contrasted this with the “ courageous small media” who are often found on the internet or radio, who she said, “get the word out.” 

    “Before the coup d’etat,” she observed, “the news stands would be empty by 3:00 pm. But today they remain full. People are beginning to understand that the alternative media are getting  the word out.”

    The reliance on information from the  traditional media sources, Ms. Lara argued, has led many in the Untied States  to the erroneous  assumption that the ousted former President, “Manuel Zelaya doesn’t want to return.”  

    As a feminist and member of the Resistance, Ms. Lara says that     those who want to live alternative life styles face ongoing “challenges,” particularly from those she characterized as “fundamentalist.”

    “It’s a learning process for all of us,” she adds. “It’s the system  that has to change.”

   The Honduran singer was also critical of the United  Nations,     which she noted initially condemned the coup. For the leadership in the U.N. today, however, “the word coup d’etat is no longer in their vocabulary.” 

   A Latin American music critic has lauded that allusive quality in Karla Lara’s performances, “representing (her) concerts as a voyage through the anticipation of romance.”

    “Karla Lara is a singer  who is part of an extensive movement of a young and diverse audience who believe in the need of creating a Honduran music,” said the music critic of Diarios in Honduras.

    While Brazil and Venezuela have refused to recognize the new government of Honduras, both Colombia and Perú have normalized their relations with the central American country.   Meanwhile, the government of Chile and its Chancellor  Alfredo Moreno recently welcomed a delegation from Honduras, and are awaiting a report about the government of Honduras from the Organization of American States before officially recognizing Honduras.