Identidades in English No 4, December 2014 | Page 93

‘machismo’ this only works if everyone is happy
in their position. To me, to be free means no one
has a position, everyone is equal and all have a
voice. I’d love to find a man to do all for me, but
I won’t sacrifice my voice. Also in America there
is a rise in violence against women and children
by the hands of their husbands, boyfriends or
other males. This is a deadly type of machismo,
which cannot be tolerated in any society. We need
to love and respect each other more to be happy.
Being happy may also mean setting goals. I asked
Raudel about his ultimate goal with his music. A
true activist, he said he doesn’t have a final goal
as the only thing that never changes is change.
Things are always changing. “We met a goal today. Around the corner there will be three more
goals to reach. When you look at it that way there
can be no final goal.” Kenya made a similar comment in 2013 when I interviewed her. She said
that “people in the U.S. don’t understand what the
word ‘revolution’ means. It’s an internal process,
something that is in constant change.” It requires
a long-term commitment to being dedicated to
change all of your life. It’s not a passing fancy or
a temporary mood but something that goes on
long after you are gone. This is another reason we
need to teach our children true history and how to
make sure their voices are always being heard.
What Raudel does want to achieve is to create a
new consciousness in his country. “I want to create a new way the government functions. I want
the people who grew up with few privileges, few
resources, and little money - I want them to have
the right to live a dignified life. I want them to
have the opportunities to make their dreams come
true. To have enough food, decent and affordable
housing. Just as my friends live with these problems, so do I.”
I’m always interested to know how people see the
U.S. I asked Raudel of his very first visit to USA:
what did he see? “My goal was to get to know the
history, whic