Who is Rubén Blades and why AMLO concluded his morning conference with one of his songs

On the evening of Sunday, April 17, the debate on the debate on the Electric Reform in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro ended and, although the results of that discussion were not favorable to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Tabasco president presented himself on Monday with a relaxed and confident attitude during his traditional morning conference.

Although it inevitably touched on the issue of the resolution of the Electricity Reform in the Chamber of Deputies, this time the president chose to confront the bad taste of mouth that left the rejection of his initiative with an emotional musical moment, in which he asked them to play a song by the iconic Panamanian singer-songwriter Rubén Blades.

One of the issues that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador touched upon almost at the end of his conference was that of the sensitive death of Rosario Ibarra de Piedra, who died on the morning of Saturday, April 16 at the age of 95 in the state of Nuevo León.

Rosario Ibarra de Piedra was a staunch human rights activist and defender of the disappeared for four decades, as well as a presidential candidate and senator of the Republic.

He ventured into political and social activism after the disappearance of his son Jesús Piedra Ibarra, who was a student at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (UANL) and allegedly a member of the September 23 Communist League, a clandestine armed group; and who disappeared in the 1970s, during the so-called “dirty war” in Mexico, a period in which the government - through the Army - repressed, arrested, disappeared and killed political opponents, guerrillas and citizens.

After the news broke, the president of Mexico sent his condolences to the activist's family through his social networks with the following message:

“Bad news: Mrs. Rosario Ibarra de Piedra died, who will always remind us of the deepest love for children and solidarity with those who suffer from the disappearance of their loved ones. That was his real match even though he admired Giordano Bruno”

However, this Monday morning she once again recalled the activist's tireless struggle in Mexico, so in addition to extolling her work for the defense of human rights in the country, she recalled her legacy and the great love that parents have for their children with the emotional song Amor y Control by salsa man Rubén Blades.

On different occasions, Andrés Manuel López Obrador has musicalized different episodes of his political career with music from Latin American references and social protest, among which melodies by artists such as Residente de Calle 13, or his friend Silvio Rodríguez, have stood out, however, on this occasion it was Rubén Blades' music that was chosen by the Mexican president to remember the struggle of Rosario Ibarra de Piedra.

Rubén Blades is a Panamanian singer and songwriter. He began singing in a Rock & Roll band with his brother Roberto, however, after the incidents of 1963, in which American soldiers ended the lives of 21 compatriots, stopped singing in English and resumed the Latin tradition, recording his first album in 1969.

During his musical career, he sang in Ray Barretto's band and by 1976 he started a series of recordings with the Willie Colón combo; among them, Siembra (1977), the best-selling salsa album in history, also featuring his most popular song, Pedro Navaja. In 1984, Blades began recording solo and, years later, he made his first appearance in a film: Crossover Dreams. Engaging in activities such as the anti-apartheid struggle, he continued his career in the eighties.

Rubén Blades has always been concerned about the political and social reality of his country, so in 1994 he founded the party Papa Egoró Movement (Mother Earth, in the embará language) and ran as a candidate for the presidential elections in May of that year, obtaining 17 percent of the votes cast.

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