Argentinidad al Palo

On Saturday I took a trip to Santa Fe, the capital of my province. The city is unimpressive, but my favorite Argentinean band was playing, and I figured there must be some cool things, so I went.

In most ways, the city met my expectations, not better or worse. I anticipated a run-down small city of the muggy, South American kind. And that's what I got.

Except for one part. The main shopping street in Santa Fe is actually very nice. The only problem with it is that it might as well be in New York.

Literally every store is American. I asked in one store whose name sounded Spanish if the brand was Argentinean. She shrugged. "It's popular here, I guess." It was as if even the idea of an authentic Argentinean chain was inconceivable.

It was a little odd. I mean, you fly across the world, you expect to see something new.

So I headed towards the center of Santa Fe. There are lots of pretty, old buildings there in addition to a few banks. That's cool and authentic. Except for the fact that the banks are all European.

Should I have just stayed in Connecticut for the year? Are Chinatown, Little Italy and Boca Raton more ethnic than Santa Fe, Rosario or Buenos Aires?

Not exactly.

So globalization happened (happens?). Businesses in Rafaela are in trouble because they put their money in Lehman Brothers and Ronald McDonald says Bienvenido as you walk into his very Yankee restaurant.

Enter: Bersuit Vergarabat. Things change.

Bersuit is one of Argentina's most popular rock bands. Their music sounds a little reggae, a little classic rock, a little cumbia (formerly known as Spanish polka music), a little bit tango, but it is all very firmly grounded in Argentina. Even though it incorporates different styles of music from around the world, its lyrics are clearly about life in Argentina.

Take "Argentinidad al Palo" for example, which translates loosely to "Argentina Frenzy." This song describes all the great things about Argentina - the things that are really Argentinean, like dulce de leche and alpargatas and the peaceful mixing of immigrants. It's definitely rock and roll, but you can't escape the distinct Latin rhythm.

I left the concert impressed with their music and performance, but there was another thought I had: this was the first thing I saw all day that is authentically Argentinean.

Overall, I have to say that Argentina is not doing so well. On one wall in Santa Fe, graffiti for the Young Fascists Club was crossed out and replaced by propaganda for Communist Youth. You know when your youth group choices are Hitler Youth: the Sequel and Stalin Groupies you have problems.

But it's comforting to see that there is a definite Argentinean culture and a unique history, and I don't think that should be overlooked. This is not a banana republic or a former European colony whose boundaries were haphazardly thrown together. It's a developing country, but it's only the government and economy that needs to develop; once (if) that happens, stand back, mighty Europe (and America), as Madonna/Evita says. These people have something special to offer the world.