The group was formed by students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile in 1967. In 1973 as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d'etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.
In the past the group was musically led by Horacio Salinas and politically led by Jorge Coulon. However, in 2001 there was a controversial split of the group, which started when three key members left the group (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas). They were replaced by Manuel Meriño (from Entrama), Cristián González and Juan Flores. Due to the importance of departed members, many called into question the ability of the remainder to carry on the Inti-Illimani name. Meanwhile, the three departed members started their own group they call Inti-Histórico. From 2005 there are two groups:
Inti-Illimani New (Coulon brothers)
Inti-Illimani Histórico (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas)
Membership
In August 1967 Inti-Illimani's earliest membership consisted of:
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Luis Espinoza
Oscar Guzmán
Ciro Retamal
Pedro Yáñez
In 1968 Inti-Illimani's membership consisted of:
Horacio Salinas (Musical director and main composer)
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Ernesto Perez de Arce
Current line-up of the "Inti-Illimani Nuevo":
Jorge Coulon
Christian González
Daniel Cantillana
Juan Flores
Efren Viera
Marcelo Coulon
Manuel Meriño
César Jara
Current line-up of the "Inti-Histórico":
Horacio Salinas
Horacio Durán
José Seves
Jorge Ball
Fernando Julio
Camilo Salinas
Danilo Donoso
Other members in the history of the group:
Ernesto Pérez de Arce
Homero Altamirano
José Miguel Camus
Renato Freyggang
Pedro Villagra
relato 2
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
y viene con el Programa
que yo quisiera contar
sin demora ni tardanza.
Pero tampoco me apuren,
despacito por las ramas
como dice el refrán
siempre que la cosa salga.
Nadie vaya a murmurar
que me voy por la tangente.
Democracia es el siguiente
tema que van a escuchar.
Aquí me callo señores,
aquí mi copla se acaba
pero usted con atención
deje la oreja parada.
The lyrics in Inti-Illimani's song "Relato 2" speak about Power to the People and the Program that comes with it, which the singer wishes to talk about without delay. However, the lyrics also caution against rushing the discussion and advise taking it slow and steady. The singer also requests that no one accuses them of sidestepping the issue, as democracy is the next topic that they will address.
The singer ends by saying that their verse has finished, but they urge listeners to keep their ears open and pay attention. Overall, the song seems to be a call to action for people to take power into their own hands and be mindful of the workings of democracy. It conveys the idea that democracy is not just about being able to vote, but rather a collective effort to create change.
Line by Line Meaning
Eso es Poder Popular
This is what we call People's Power.
y viene con el Programa
It comes with a plan.
que yo quisiera contar
And I would like to tell it.
sin demora ni tardanza.
Without hurry or delay.
Pero tampoco me apuren,
But don't push me either,
despacito por las ramas
Let's take it step by step
como dice el refrán
As the saying goes
siempre que la cosa salga.
As long as things work out.
Nadie vaya a murmurar
Do not murmur
que me voy por la tangente.
That I'm going off topic.
Democracia es el siguiente
The next topic is democracy,
tema que van a escuchar.
Which you will hear about.
Aquí me callo señores,
Here I stop, gentlemen,
aquí mi copla se acaba
Here my song ends
pero usted con atención
But please pay attention
deje la oreja parada.
And keep your ears open.
Contributed by Jordyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fanny
on Hermanochay
Hola, mi padre tenia un grupo de musica andina y cantaba esta cancion. Mi padre hoy ya no está y me hubiera gustado entender la letra, no encuentro traducción por ningún lado, alguien sabe la traducción?