Mexico: Reports of Mexican authorities intimidating radio stations to keep them from playing the music of certain musical groups because of the political content of their lyrics (1999-2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 15 March 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MEX36546.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mexico: Reports of Mexican authorities intimidating radio stations to keep them from playing the music of certain musical groups because of the political content of their lyrics (1999-2000), 15 March 2001, MEX36546.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be6a14.html [accessed 5 November 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The only references to radio stations not playing certain music because of their content were found in reports about three musical groups: the Tigres del Norte, Los Huracanes del Norte, and Molotov.
Molotov has been described as a group whose music mixes "funk, rap and rock", and whose lyrics convey violent and hateful messages, including homophobic statements (El Universal 10 Feb. 1998; Contra-Infos 21-27 Oct. 1998; El Universal 10 Feb. 1998). Public performances of the group in Mexico have been cancelled due to pressure from parents, church and municipal authorities of different localities and, according to a report, at least some of its songs are not broadcast on the radio (no se escuchan en la radio) (ibid.).
Los Huracanes del Norte and Tigres del Norte are widely described as musical groups of great national fame from northern Mexico which play corridos, a type of Mexican song usually narrating a story about an individual or a situation. In a January 1999 interview, the leader of Tigres del Norte stated that some of its songs related to politics or drug trafficking simply cannot be played in the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa (La Jornada 11 Jan. 1999). Without giving specific examples, the group leader stated that some of their songs had been "extraofficially" censored (censurados de manera "extraoficial"); the report stated that in some instances people had approached the group and "requested" them not to play certain songs (algunas personas llegan hasta ellos para "pedir" que no las entonen) (ibid.). The leader added that they didn't know for certain where such censorship originated and that it was not something they received in writing, but their belief was that it came from the government although it was not an official restriction (ibid.).
Los Huracanes del Norte are a more recent arrival on the national scene who have been recently approaching the levels of popularity of the Tigres del Norte (La Jornada 31 May 1999). At least one of their songs, "Los Títeres" ("The Puppets") was reportedly not played on the radio because of its political content (no se toca en la radio por político) (ibid.)
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Contra-Infos [Barcelona]. 21-27 October 1998. "Denuncia contra el grupo musical Molotov."
El Universal [Mexico City]. 10 February 1998. Lerida Cabello Maradiaga. "El grupo Molotov sigue luchando contra la censura."
La Jornada [Mexico City]. 31 May 1999. Arturo Cruz Bárcenas. "El vilipendiado gruperismo, la salvación."
_____. 11 January 1999. Gustavo Castillo García. "Tigres del Norte: en varios estados no quieren que toquemos temas fuertes." ."
Additional Sources Consulted
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York. Searchable Archives. 1996-2001.
El Universal [Mexico City]. Searchable Archives. 1999.
Excelsior [Mexico City]. Searchable Archives. 1996-2000.
The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), Toronto. Searchable archives, 1997-2001.
IRB Databases.
La Jornada [Mexico City]. Searchable Archives. 1999-2000.
Latin American Regional Reports: Mexico & NAFTA [London]. 1999-2000.
Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.]. 1999-1999.
REFWORLD.
Internet Websites and Internet search engines.
Note:
This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific publications available at the Resource Centre are not listed.
