Sonido 33: Latin American stories from the other south

Jim Levy

Academic and activist Jim Levy narrates his father’s and his own deep connections with Latin America from the early to mid-twentieth century, detailing his scholarship and multiple extended stays in Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador and other countries. He also recounts his key contributions to solidarity committees and campaigns for Chile, Guatemala, and Nicaragua since the 1970s.

Bruno Di Biase

Prominent community leader Bruno Di Biase tells of his upbringing in Italy and his formative years in Venezuela. He also narrates his migration to Australia in 1971 and his long-standing solidarity activism for Latin America, which he has expressed through publications, campaigns, and his leadership of the musical group Bella Ciao (oral history in Spanish).

Mario Rojas

Musician Mario Rojas recounts his upbringing in Chile, his migration to Australia in 1971, his musical path, and his solidarity and cultural activism in Sydney’s Inner West for more than a decade. He also describes his move to Nicaragua in the mid-1980s and his return to Chile, where he became a key figure as performer and redeemer of popular and traditional Chilean music (oral history in Spanish).

Gerardo Díaz

Leading community activist Gerardo Díaz tells the story of his upbringing in El Salvador, and his work in nursing, unionism, and political organisation during the Salvadoran Civil War. He also reminisces his experience of surviving the October 1989 paramilitary bombing of a national union headquarters, a pivotal event that led to the insurgence’s final offensive and the peace accords that ended the war (oral history in Spanish).

Paula Castro

Renowned community leader Paula Castro recounts her upbringing in Chile under the socialist government of Salvador Allende and her political activism during Pinochet’s dictatorship. She narrates her imprisonment in 1987 as a member of a local insurgency in northern Chile, her subsequent humanitarian asylum in Australia in 1988, and her long-standing solidarity activism based in Western Sydney (oral history in Spanish).