Embedded Files
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Cabrillo Community College, Aptos
English with a Multicultural and Multimedia Emphasis, Professor Ariel Robello
March 2021
Immigration Told by the Immigrant
In most countries, there are laws and policies for non-citizens on how they may travel around and/or live in the country. These regulations are most often created and passed by legislators who know little about the experience of immigrants, especially those who are considered illegal. Two people who have been around unlawful immigration and who have spoken up about the negative effects of current laws on the individuals are Manu Chao and Sandy Rivera. First is world musician, Manu Chao, who is a French-born Spanish singer and son of political refugees. Chao often speaks on the issues of immigration and the suffering of refugees to his international fanbase which consists of all races, genders and incomes and is majorly from Europe, Africa and Latin America. “Clandestino,” the first song of the eponymous album, came out in 1998 and is one of his most well-known and appreciated songs. In it, Chao energetically sings about unauthorized immigration and the more negative experience of refugees coming to Europe from poorer nations. With “Clandestino” and many of his other songs, he has high hopes of passing on his democratic call to action for competent immigration reform. Second is Latina woman and student, Sandy Rivera, who speaks on her personal experience as an undocumented immigrant living in the United States in her speech “Undocumented, Yet Hopeful” at the Indianapolis Women’s March in 2018. In front of 4,000 people, she earnestly talks about her difficult childhood, becoming a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, and what she has done since DACA was rescinded by the Trump administration. Rivera’s goal is to inspire her audience to keep fighting for immigration reform and “to defend American values of fairness and equality” (NIJC). Chao’s song and Rivera’s speech discuss the issues and effects of unlawful immigration and its much needed reform. They emphasize their message with the usage of first person narration, vivid imagery, and a powerful diction and a loaded tone.
[3] Manu Chao's Clandestino album. Released in 1998.
To begin with, Manu Chao and Sandy Rivera both use the first person point of view to speak on immigration and narrate their story through song and speech, respectively. An apparent distinction between the two is Chao’s impersonation of a fictitious immigrant compared to Rivera’s personal experience as an undocumented youth. Chao mentions how unauthorized immigrants are often held back from obtaining legality in their new country and how that affects them from finding an honorable job or feeling at home. Although he is not undocumented himself, Chao was born to Spanish political refugees who escaped Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. He lived in the outskirts of Paris surrounded by other refugees and asylum seekers and “grew up in a household filled with music and radical politics” (Cartwright). In his early adult life, he became a so-called world traveller when he started backpacking around Southern Europe and Latin America. During these travels, alone or in a group, he created his music and lyrics based off of meetings with people from all backgrounds including immigrants, refugees, drug addicts, travellers, prostitutes, and other musicians. What all of these people shared was being marginalized in some type of way by their host country. In the last line of “Clandestino’s” chorus, Chao sings “they call me ‘clandestino’ for not having any [legal] papers” as a way to offer a simple, yet symbolic “meditation on migrants to the west. ‘[He] wrote it about the border
between Europe and those coming from poorer nations” to exemplify the hardships these minorities go through, especially those searching for a better life for themselves and their families (Cartwright). He appeals to his audience’s empathetic emotions in a credible way because the usage of first person narration shows vulnerability and from it, a close connection between speaker and listener emerges. Similarly, Sandy Rivera builds an intimate relationship with her audience through her own usage of the first person point of view for her speech at the Women’s March. She almost instantly begins forming that close tie when she “[thanks] God for giving [her] the opportunity to stand [t]here in front of [them] all… to not only share [her] personal story as an immigrant woman but to stand in solidarity with each and everyone of [them]” (Rivera). She establishes an atmosphere of compassion and relatability by sharing personal information. For example, she reflects on her challenging childhood full of fear and embarrassment due to her legal status. She proceeds with her narration by expressing her bliss of becoming a DACA recipient because it “created a pathway for [her to] attain all the dreams [she] though were far beyond [her] reach,” but then recounts of her disappointment when hearing the news of Trump’s decision to end DACA (Rivera). This unconventional and hard life for a child appeals to her audience’s empathetic side and helps form an intimate bond between speaker and listener like Chao does. Their consistent usage of first person in their narration allows them to hold on to their audiences’ critical investment in their story to justify the need for immigration reform.
At the same time, Chao and Rivera disclose their narratives by incorporating vivid imagery to help create a mental image of other immigrants’ experiences as well as their own to further captivate their audiences’ attention and appeal to their emotion of compassion and want for reform. The first verse of Chao’s “Clandestino” presents an intense glimpse at what it feels to be an undocumented immigrant. He sings “I left my life behind between Ceuta and Gibraltar -- I’m a stingray in the sea, a ghost in the city” (Chao). Ceuta being in Northern Africa and Gibraltar being in Spain, Chao “takes us on the journey African clandestinos… undertake across the treacherous Mediterranean Sea to a supposedly better life in Europe” (Leonard). Although one cannot physically become a stingray nor a ghost, the metaphor allows the listener to visualize the feeling of leaving one’s hometown while being unlawfully in a new country and not wanting to be found out. Chao also uses metaphorical imagery in his chorus which is about arriving at his destination and feeling “lost in the heart of the great Babylon” (Chao). Chao, in accord to the Rastafarian belief system, refers to Babylon as the corrupt, capitalist, and colonial governments and their members who are known to systematically oppress the poor and people of color (Buttermilk). Chao implicitly explains the Western world is not necessarily as suitable for unlawful, colored immigrants as it is for naturalized, white citizens because these governments do not want undocumented migrants yet do nothing to help them legally obtain papers. In a likewise manner, Rivera uses metaphorical imagery to describe the experience of being an undocumented youth when she says “I chose to hide in the shadows by assimilating to American societal values and expectations” (Rivera). She was not in the literal shadows somewhere, but rather she chose not to stand out even if it meant there would be a rift created between who she was acting like and who she was meant to be. Akin to other illicit immigrants, young Rivera feared what other people would think of her and her family if they happened to find out her legal status (Rivera). Chao and Rivera’s use of imagery helps create a realistic image of immigrants’ experiences for their audience and allows them to understand the implicit or explicit call for immigration reform.
Another key point is Chao and Rivera’s common choice to incorporate vivid diction to create a loaded tone, although they establish their own distinct style to create personalized works in order to express their story of immigration and convey their call to action for immigration reform. In the chorus of his song, Chao includes the line “to run to escape the law is my destiny” (Chao). Applying the specific term ‘destiny’ is in itself intense as it refers to the uncontrollable events in one’s life. Chao purposefully claims the inevitable fate of an unauthorized immigrant's life is to be on the run to express his views on how governments treat foreigners in need. Another line challenging the current immigration laws is one from the first verse in which Chao sings “my life is forbidden, says the authority” (Chao). He employs the word ‘forbidden’ to powerfully describe the way he feels federal institutions view the livelihoods of asylum seekers. This forces an uneasy feeling on his fans which is what he is looking for because he hopes it compels them to think twice when referring to illicit immigration rather than acting in accordance with institutions and treating unlawful immigrants adversely solely based on their status. Comparatively, Rivera uses
[5] Sandy Rivera
Photo credit: Emma Knutson
elaborate phrases rather than catchwords to establish an intense and almost chilling tone. In the midst of her speech, she repeats multiple times how “immigrant parents are the original Dreamers. They sacrificed all their dreams in order for us to live ours” (Rivera). These two sentences help form her audience’s realization of the importance of parents and their dedication to their children which leaves them speechless and solely in agreement. Further down, she mentions how through DACA she “was able to give back to the only country [she has] ever known as home” (Rivera). This statement exemplifies her patriotism for the United States which obligates the listeners to acknowledge the affection and devotement immigrants feel towards the country they live in even when they are undocumented. Chao and Rivera wish to appeal to their audiences’ humanity and compassion in regards to how people may negatively treat immigrants solely based on their status. Both developments of a loaded tone regarding how unlawful individuals feel unwelcome in their new environment even when they are devoted furthermore proves the need for “clean, comprehensive and proper immigration reform” (Rivera).
In conclusion, Manu Chao and Sandy Rivera similarly employ narration in the first person point of view, vivid metaphorical imagery, and intense diction and loaded tone to create an uneasy, thought-provoking atmosphere. Using this atmosphere to their advantage, Chao and Rivera hope to inspire their audiences to fight for and demand competent and adequate immigration reform in Europe and other Western countries who host large numbers of individuals from developing nations. First off, since the coming out of his Clandestino album in 1998, Chao has “struck a chord with a generation of young people who grew up in a world of globalisation and international travel” (Wallis). Chao suggests the song “Clandestino” as well as the rest of the album has become a powerful political statement and says it “has become a kind of anthem for clandestinos all around the world” (Wallis). Likewise, Rivera had a powerful effect, though on a smaller scale. Throughout the duration of her speech, she was able to communicate effectively her experience as an undocumented individual in the United States and give a different perspective on immigration to her listeners. Due to her confidence and astonishing rhetoric, her story holds a valuable place in the history of the Women’s Marches.
Works Cited:
Buttermilk, David. “The Roots of Babylon.” Debate.uvm.edu, 22 Apr. 1998, www.debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/dbardfield.html. Accessed 11 Mar. 2021.
Cartwright, Garth. “The Wild Rover.” The Guardian, 1 Oct. 2007, www.theguardian.com/music/2007/oct/01/worldmusic1.
Leonard, Charles. “Political Songs | Clandestino – Manu Chao.” New Frame, 16 Nov. 2018, www.newframe.com/political-songs-clandestino-manu-chao/.
Rivera, Sandy. “Undocumented, Yet Hopeful.” Indianapolis Women’s March, 20 Jan. 2018.
National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). “Undocumented, Yet Hopeful: Dreamer Sandy Rivera’s Speech at the Indianapolis Women’s March.” 30 Jan. 2018, National Immigrant Justice Center. www.immigrantjustice.org/staff/blog/undocumented-yet-hopeful-dreamer-sandy-riveras-speech- indianapolis- womens-march.
Wallis, Emma. “Striking a Chord: How Manu Chao Spoke to a Generation.” BBC News, 23 Aug. 2010, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-11058132.
Photo Credits:
Chao, Manu.”Clandestino.” Clandestino. Manu Chao & Renaud Letang, 6 Oct. 1990. Virgin Records.
Knutson, Emma. Sandy Rivera. 2018.
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