Speaking in Argentina, Catalan singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat warned Friday that individualism “is leading us to the abyss” and championed knowledge as a way to confront “the disinformation and ignorance” surrounding society.
He made the remarks while receiving a tribute from a university in Mendoza. “One by one, we are absolutely defeatable,” said the composer of 'Mediterráneo' after being awarded an honorary doctorate by the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in western Argentina.
Serrat also called for his message to be passed on to younger generations, who, he said, “are being bombarded daily with this ferocious individualism of every man for himself.”
After accepting the honour with a broad smile and delivering a speech before a packed auditorium, the 82-year-old praised free education and urged society to “promote knowledge” in the face of “the disinformation and ignorance that surround us.”
“You must always take sides, take sides even if it means getting your hands dirty,” the singer-songwriter said, adding: “Be wary of those who present themselves as apolitical, they are terrifyingly political.”
Some local journalists saw his remarks as critical of President Javier Milei's government, which has slashed public spending since taking control of Argentina in December 2023.
Serrat, the composer of iconic songs such as 'Cantares' and 'Aquellas pequeñas cosas,' who has released around 40 albums over the course of his career, said his songs “are vehicles” for communicating with others.
Born on December 27, 1943 in the Poble Sec neighbourhood of Barcelona into a working-class family, Serrat began his musical career in 1964 and was a pioneer of the 'Nova Cançó' movement, which emerged during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in defence of the Catalan language.
Serrat also called on artists “not to turn their backs on reality” and said he believed in “tolerance, democracy and respect for the rights of others.”
“History, which has a habit of repeating itself, teaches us that in times of serious crisis the tendencies toward democratic regression return,” the artist said, concluding with the wish “that the daily injustices we have to live through never become a normality capable of turning our hearts to stone.”
Speaking from Mendoza, a region known for its wine production, tSerrat said he would dedicate a song to it in a future record – although he added that he could not guarantee “where, how or when that might happen.”
– TIMES/AFP
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