Last October, a hike in subway fares erupted into mass protest against rampant inequality and elite corruption in Chile, a turmoil that rages on to this day. Soundtracking the revolt was Ana Tijoux’s fiery protest anthem “#CACEROLAZO”—named after the tradition of calling for attention by banging pots and pans—which set a demand for Chile’s billionaire president’s resignation to police siren wails. “With our fists and spoons we are bashing the establishment/and the state,” she rapped. Tijoux, who was born in France after her parents fled the Pinochet dictatorship, has made confronting injustice a central part of her career. She performed at Bernie Sanders’ Los Angeles campaign rally, before Public Enemy, earlier this month.
Her new song, “Antifa Dance,” arrives at a time when a global pandemic is exposing just how untenable our capitalist system is. While the wealthy dump millions in stock to shield themselves from financial fallout, the most vulnerable in society are left to suffer without sick leave, reliable income, or health insurance. But instead of projecting exasperation or defeat, Tijoux channels her fervor into joyful, defiant resistance. “Antifa Dance” is a swaggering dance that rallies against oppression, complete with a “1, 2, 3—hit it!” Tijoux insists on class solidarity and the toppling of the status quo: “Este sistema se cae cae /si tu no comprai.”(“The system will fall down/if you don’t buy in”). Animated, pounding percussion creates the sensation that this could be performed on any street in the world, affirming that the fight against injustice is a global struggle.
