Hit song 'La Bestia' about Mexican death train released by US border agency
Source: Independent
Hit song 'La Bestia' about Mexican death train released by US border agency to deter prospective migrants from making the trip north
Tim Walker
Los Angeles
Tuesday 15 July 2014
It is one of the most popular songs on Central American radio, frequently requested from stations across Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. But what most of its listeners don’t know is that “La Bestia” (The Beast) – a ballad about the treacherous train journey across Mexico towards the US border – was commissioned by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency to deter prospective migrants from making the trip.
Since October last year, more than 52,000 children, many unaccompanied by adults, have arrived in the US illegally after crossing its border with Mexico. Most are refugees fleeing endemic violence in Central America.
President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $3.7bn (£2.2bn) in emergency funding to address the humanitarian crisis, including $5m to be spent on a media campaign advising people not to come to the US.
The CBP has already launched a $1m advertising drive to put off Central American parents who plan to send their children north. According to a report by The Daily Beast, a news website, the “Dangers Awareness Campaign” unveiled this month was conceived by Elevation, an advertising agency based in Washington DC, whose Mexican-born creative director, Rodolfo Hernandez, wrote the Spanish-language lyrics to “La Bestia”.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hit-song-la-bestia-about-mexican-death-train-released-by-us-border-agency-to-deter-prospective-migrants-from-making-the-trip-north-9608152.html
07.12.14
The Government Is Using Subliminal Songs To Scare Immigrants
Guess who commissioned “La Bestia,” a Central American radio hit about the dangers of the journey to America?
“Migrants from everywhere, entrenched along the rail ties. Far away from where they come, further away from where they go,” singer Eddie Ganz croons in Spanish over the Caribbean beat of the marimba, a wooden xylophone-like instrument from Guatemala. “They call her the Beast from the South, this wretched train of death. With the devil in the boiler, whistles, roars, twists and turns.”
People throughout Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador call their local radio stations to request this song, a harrowing tale of violence and death set against the backdrop of Central America’s traditionally upbeat cumbia music. “La Bestia,” or “The Beast” refers to the notoriously dangerous freight train upon which thousands of migrants ride from Southern Mexico, risking robbery, kidnapping, rape, and murder just to make it to the U.S. border. It’s a familiar tale told by an expected source. In fact, the popularity of “La Bestia” owes itself in large part to the fact that its audience is not aware of its origins. The song, and others like it, are part of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection campaign to deter illegal immigration to the United States.
Last week, CBP announced plans to launch a new, million-dollar “Dangers Awareness Campaign,” aimed at discouraging families in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador from sending their children with smugglers to cross the U.S. border through Mexico. A press release described billboards and public service announcements to be aired on television and radio in those three countries as well as U.S. cities with large Central American populations. Not highlighted was “La Bestia,” the song written and produced for the sole purpose of spreading CBP’s message through music.
More:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/12/how-the-government-is-using-subliminal-songs-to-scare-central-american-immigrants.html
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