At Stanford University on October 30, 1973, Inti-Illimani, a Chilean folk music group, performed in concert, just months after the military coup in Chile had led to the their exile as well as the death of their fellow folk singer and frequent collaborator, Victor Jara. Saved from a similar fate by the fact that they were on tour in Europe at the time of Pinochet’s violent take over, the group took this opportunity to offer a poignant tribute to Jara and other victims of the fascist regime. They also played the music that had made them the most popular group in Chile during the Allende years, music that celebrated the popular culture of the Latin American countries particularly those in the Andean region of the continent. They spoke of the beauty of the music of the indigenous people of that area, and told why that music and art was no longer heard, or at least played publicly in Chile at that time. Also in this program, two members of the group sat down for an interview, conducted in Spanish, but also summarized here in English, in which they discuss the political situation in Chile and the ethnic origins of their music.

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