Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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Those fortunate enough to be at the Colón Theatre last month got to hear one of Colombia’s greatest musicians sing one of the nation’s most iconic songs. Magin Díaz, a 93-year-old singer and songwriter whose voice helped define the course of music in Colombia, flew from a tiny coastal town just to walk on the stage that night.
As he has his entire life, however, he took that step in obscurity. Most people in attendance probably didn’t even know who this unsung hero was, but a dedicated and powerful group that includes the Grammy winner Carlos Vives is now fighting to ensure that his contributions to the culture will eventually be recognized.
Magín was born on Dec 30th, 1922, in a small village in the Bolívar department several kilometres from Palenque, which became the first “Free Town” of the Americas after being settled in the mid-17th century by escaped slaves from Cartagena. In this remote Afro-Colombian hamlet of Gamero little has changed since the dawn of the last century, when children worked the land, planting rice, beans and yucca to feed the family. Magín never went to school and never learned to read nor write. Yet, at age 15, he authored the lyrics to “Rosa, que linda eres,” one of the most poignant Colombian love songs and a hymn to injustice and racial exclusion. The Rosa of lore is very real, “the most beautiful woman I ever saw,” recounted Magín with a fragile and fleeting mind.
Magín and his 'Rosa' - The City Paper Bogotá
Cool story. I didn't think I was going to be able to find this guy but I did.
As he has his entire life, however, he took that step in obscurity. Most people in attendance probably didn’t even know who this unsung hero was, but a dedicated and powerful group that includes the Grammy winner Carlos Vives is now fighting to ensure that his contributions to the culture will eventually be recognized.
Magín was born on Dec 30th, 1922, in a small village in the Bolívar department several kilometres from Palenque, which became the first “Free Town” of the Americas after being settled in the mid-17th century by escaped slaves from Cartagena. In this remote Afro-Colombian hamlet of Gamero little has changed since the dawn of the last century, when children worked the land, planting rice, beans and yucca to feed the family. Magín never went to school and never learned to read nor write. Yet, at age 15, he authored the lyrics to “Rosa, que linda eres,” one of the most poignant Colombian love songs and a hymn to injustice and racial exclusion. The Rosa of lore is very real, “the most beautiful woman I ever saw,” recounted Magín with a fragile and fleeting mind.
Magín and his 'Rosa' - The City Paper Bogotá
Cool story. I didn't think I was going to be able to find this guy but I did.
