Performance colectivo Las Tesis "Un violador en tu camino" en Chile 25 Noviembre 2019.
El patriarcado es un juez
que nos juzga por nacer
y nuestro castigo
es la violencia que no ves.
El patriarcado es un juez
que nos juzga por nacer
y nuestro castigo
es la violencia que ya ves.
Es femicidio.
Impunidad para mi asesino.
Es la desaparición.
Es la violación.
¡Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba ni como vestia!
¡Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba ni como vestia!
¡Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba ni como vestia!
¡Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba ni como vestia!
¡El violador eres tú!
¡El violador eres tú!
¡Son los pacos!
¡Los jueces!
¡El estado!
¡El presidente!
¡El estado opresor es un macho violador!
¡El estado opresor es un macho violador!
¡El violador eras tú! ¡El violador eres tú!
‘Duerme tranquila,
niña inocente sin preocuparte del bandolero.
Que por tu sueño
dulce y sonriente
vela tu amante Carabinero.’*
¡El violador eres tú!
¡El violador eres tú!
¡El violador eres tú
A Rapist in Your Way (English Translation by me)
Patriarchy is a judge
that judges us for being born
and our punishment
is the violence that you don’t see.
The patriarchy is a judge
that judges us for being born
and our punishment
is the violence that you’ve seen.
It’s femicide.
Impunity for my killer.
It’s disappearance.
It’s rape.
And It’s not my fault because of where I was or how I dressed!
And It’s not my fault because of where I was or how I dressed!
And It’s not my fault because of where I was or how I dressed!
And It’s not my fault because of where I was or how I dressed!
The rapist is you!
The rapist is you!
It’s the cops!
the judges!
the state!
the president!
The oppressive state is a misogynist rapist!
The oppressive state is a misogynist rapist!
The rapist is you!
The rapist is you!
“Slumber gently, innocent girl
without worrying about the riff-raff,
in your sweetly smiling dreams,
will be revealed your loving lieutenant”*
The rapist is you!
The rapist is you!
The rapist is you!
The rapist is you!
*from Policeman’s Hymn of Chile
My decision to translate El Violador en tu Camino into English was deliberate. The piece was written by, for, and about women in Latin America, specifically in Chile, capitalism’s Latin American poster-child. But it was also written for me. It was written for you. It is a call for civil society to stand up to the state. For us to stand up to misogynistic violence. I also deliberately chose to use my own translation for this piece and not translations which are floating around on the internet. My translation, of course similar to others, changes a few words which I believe better captures the meaning for me. This is part of the power of translation. By emphasizing certain words or feelings without changing the meaning, I can share the sentiment which is implied yet not explicit in the original language. Some collectives have altered the words to fit their experiences. In Paraguay, participants chanted, “Es la milicia! Los fiscales! La prensa!” They also added, “che rete che mba’e,” meaning “mi cuerpo es mío”, or “my body is mine,” in Guarani, an indigenous and the second official language of the country.
This particular performance piece is only made possible through collaboration. It was made viral through further collaboration world wide. There are now videos of this performance in México DF, Los Galapagos, Paris, Sydney, London, and many others. It’s widely performed in Spanish, but there are versions in various languages. This is the power of a collective which allows for innovation, cooperation, and engagement. A collective with a powerful imaginary which has many manifestations in many locals, but which leads to empowerment, action, and visibility.