“Por mi piel morena borraron mi identidad / Me sentí pisoteado por toda la sociedad / Me tuve que hacer fuerte por necesidad / Fui el hombre de la casa a muy temprana edad…”  

“Because of my brown skin they erased my identity / I felt demolished by all of society / I had to be strong by necessity / I was the man of the house at an early age…” 

Those were some of the lyrics of the song, “Mi Verdad” or “My Truth,” that French-Chilean hip-hop artist Ana Tijoux sang on Oct. 8 at Duke University’s Forum for Scholars and Publics. However, this story does not just represent Tijoux or Latinos, but also resonates with many people who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. 

 Many people may recognize Ana Tijoux’s voice from her hit song, “1977,” which has been featured on “Breaking Bad” and the FIFA ‘11 soundtrack. This event, however, gave students and members of the local community the opportunity to interact with Tijoux on a more intimate level and to hear some of her story. 

This event was a result of the collaboration between Duke University’s Forum for Scholars and Publics and Duke Performances, as part of their Talking Music series. The series is part of an effort by the forum to bring scholarship and research to the local community through art.  

“We certainly selected musicians who would have an interesting angle,” said Laurent Dubois, director for the Forum for Scholars and Publics. “In this case, obviously Ana Tijoux speaks to so many issues about contemporary politics, different musical styles, feminism, student and political movements in the role of art, so she was a very worthy choice,” 

Tijoux also spoke to the artists who have influenced her, including Madonna and native Chilean, Victor Jara.

“Victor Jara has this capacity to connect across generations,” Tijoux said. “Music is part of you. It’s a historical moment in your life — it doesn’t die. All those albums that I used to listen to as a kid are still albums that I listen to.”

Tijoux, who has written songs about feminism and the student movement in Chile of 2011, also finds identity in characters from the old show, “Peter Capusotto y sus videos,” a series by Argentinian humorist, Diego Capusotto.

“He’s got a character whose name is Violencia Rivas,” Tijoux said. “She’s the most hilarious. I laugh because I recognize myself in her. She’s the most anarchist, beautiful person.” 

Tijoux, who acknowledges her songs to be political in nature at times, says that they are not necessarily always directed at anyone in particular.

“It’s not to be polemic just to be polemic and to be against the law just to be against it,” Tijoux said. “Sometimes there is not logic at all.” 

Tijoux performed “Sacar la Voz,” “Antipatriarca,” “Mi Verdad” and “Shock” amidst breaks to answer questions from the audience. 

Romain Becker, a French professor at Duke through an exchange program, said he enjoyed the authenticity of Tijoux’s personality. 

“She’s not above people,” Becker said. “That’s the appeal of her songs. She’s still part of the streets; she’s still part of the people.” 

Becker found out from a friend about Tijoux and decided to attend the event after listening to some of her songs via YouTube. For him, the flavor of activism present in her music attracted him.

“In French you would say, the engagement, or the political engagement, in the songs,” Becker said. “That’s the thing that struck me, what you hear in the text — even if you don’t speak Spanish too well.”

Nicole Jadue, a master’s student in the global health program at Duke and originally from Chile, said Tijoux has been in her life for a long time. She was impressed that Tijoux is not only played a lot in Chile, but around the world. 

“The first song I ever heard from her was Rosa de los Vientos,” Jadue said. “It’s from one of her oldest albums. It’s about being sons and daughters of everywhere, something that changes. I really love that song. And now, the new ‘Somos Sur’ is one of my favorite songs because my family originally comes from Palestine. So that collaboration meant that I felt that same pursuit of this identity question and everything; it made me wonder a lot and how she did this parallel between historical struggles that our people [Chileans] are struggling through right now with the parallel of the Palestinians and the Syrians.”

Jadue said she appreciates the fusion that Tijoux creates between location and historical events.

“She plays with the idea of identity with the influence of not only historical moments, but also with geographical sites,” Jadue said. “Her music is a journey of understanding that helps to decolonize other ideas in a way that challenges how you perceive yourself and others.”

For Jadue, a lifetime fan of Tijoux, it was interesting to see the influence that Tijoux has on a global level.

“She has a special niche, and it’s special in every country, which is why I think she’s very horizontal to different parts of the world,” Jadue said. “The same people that she’s talking to in Chile can be found in other places.”