Who is Victor Jara?
Victor Jara music was a potent force in the populist movement that elected Dr. Salvador Allende as the first Socialist president of Chile. He wrote songs about the plight of the poor laborers and farmers, and his love of Chile. Jara was born in 1938 in Loquen, Chile. His father was a farm laborer and a violent alcoholic. His mother took a variety of jobs to help the support the family including playing the guitar and singing folk music. She passed on her love of traditional folk songs to her son. When Jara was around seven, one of his sisters was hurt in accident. To get adequate medical care, his family moved to Santiago. However, his father did not move. His mother took a job in fruit market to support the family. His mother died when Jara was a teen. Despite living as an orphan, Jara continued his education. As a teenager, he joined the seminary but left the order before becoming a priest. Soon after, Jara enlisted in the military for a short tour. After the military, Jara started s
