Music piece by:

Teófilo Vargas Candia, popularised in Chile by the group Quilapayún

Testimony by:

David Quintana García

Experience in:

Cárcel de Rancagua, 1974 - 1975

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On 10 September 1974, a folk band of Communist Youth activists arrived at the prison of Rancagua. They were arrested to prevent them from participating in the demonstrations and other acts against the dictatorship on 11 September(1973) Day when the Chilean armed forces led by Augusto Pinochet overthrew President Salvador Allende. through their role as musicians and activists. They were freed on the 12th. They were arrested again in September 1975.

For the 18th of September, we did a fondaParty with music, food and drinks to celebrate the start of Chile’s independence from Spain.. Personally, I asked that they sing ‘A mi palomita’, as I knew that they played that song. The intention was to spread the message that four generals had stolen democracy, through the verse ‘four strangers have stolen my little dove’.

It made us laugh a lot that the police officers hurt their hands applauding the song. Their intellectual level was very low – some didn’t know how to count or write. Because of this, it was easy to do things without them realising. We even had a library of Marxist books.