Juanes

"With neither head nor tail"

No country is prepared for war, says the Colombian singer Juanes. Amid the incomprehensible violence of his country's ongoing civil war, music can heal the wounds of the soul, he told Tierramérica.

The Colombian singer Juanes is a new musical phenomenon in Latin America. Following in the footsteps of his compatriots Shakira and Aterciopelados, in a matter of months he has attracted thousands of young people with his unique mix of rock and pop that matured during years of effort in his hometown of Medellín.

Juanes (an abbreviation of Juan Esteban) recounts how in the early stages of his career he paid to perform in public with the band Ekhymosis, in which he was singer and guitarist. Today, however, fame and fortune have smiled upon the creator of "Fíjate bien" (Look Closely), "Podemos hacernos daño" (We Might Get Hurt) and "A Dios le pido" (I Ask of God), which won him a Latin Grammy for best song at this year's ceremonies.

Juanes spoke with recently with Tierramérica about some of his concerns:

Q: What would you change about the Latin American reality?
A: The violence, corruption and poverty. I would also change the phenomenon of children in the street who don't have anything to eat or a place to sleep.

Q: If you were an advisor to Colombia's president, Alvaro Uribe, what would be your plan for stopping violence in your country?
A: No country is prepared for war, brother. The problem is that in Colombia we have suffered many years of constant fear. What we would like is to not worry and be able to drive on the roads and visit other towns. Because today we can't leave the city. I think that what Uribe is doing is going well.

Q: What is the greatest truth and the biggest lie of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest guerrilla group?
A: The thing is, I don't understand anything anymore. It is an absurd war, with neither head nor tail. It is hard to watch the news and realize that violence is everywhere. Not just in Colombia, but also in Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, the United States, Europe, and Asia. It is a widespread crisis of humanity and it is very sad.

Q: Can a singer make people forget about war?
A: Music can't change people's mentality, but it can heal the wounds of the soul.

Q: What is your greatest aspiration as an artist?
A: To be fulfilled through my music, to find my own identity and express all my creativity. For me, music is happiness.

Q: If Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez were to write a song for you to perform, what would it be about?
A: I'd ask "Gabo" for a song about the importance of family, about the love there is in one's family.

Q: What song would you refuse to sing?
A: We'll leave that question because if I told you which one, you'd guess which singer I was referring to. But there are several songs I'd never sing.

Q: When is a singer-songwriter completely happy?
A: When he's honest.

* Néfer Muñoz is an IPS correspondent.