El Sueño Existe 2025: 6th and 7th September, Machynlleth, Wales SY20 8ER
www.elsuenoexiste.com for tickets (now on sale) and programme info
2005 saw the very first El Sueño Existe festival being organised in the beautiful small town of Machynlleth in West Wales – a town steeped in history, where Owain Glyndwr based his first Welsh Parliament in the late 1300s.
2005 concert in the gardens
The original festival was set up by a small team of locals, growing out of what had originally been a one-off successful evening of Chilean folk music, inspired by the iconic Victor Jara, murdered in the days after the military coup in Chile, on September 11th 1973. That was a world event of huge significance, as the ‘powers that be’, especially Nixon and Kissinger, showed there were no lengths they would not go to to destroy the democratically elected Government of Allende. As leader of ‘Popular Unity’ he had dared to go against political and economic orthodoxy, and use power achieved at the ballot box to introduce socialist policies that benefited the Chilean people, especially the workers and peasants.
The festival emerged and developed as a cultural gathering of all those in the UK, and sometimes from further afield, who celebrate the role of culture and song in the Allende period, and especially the role of Victor Jara, who became the voice of Chile, ironically ever more celebrated globally after his death. That first festival was given energy and credibility by many Chilean exiles who had made their homes in Britain during the late 70s, especially but not solely the strong Chilean community living at that time in Sheffield. It sought to blend the music with the awareness of global issues, and especially how developments in Latin America – for example the elections of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia were picking up the torch from Allende into the modern era.
Festival director Tony Corden with Gerardo (Venezuela) and local singers
El Sueño Existe – The Dream Lives On – is not merely a harking back to those times of over 50 years ago, but a celebration of today’s cultural, political and environmental struggles to create the better world that we all know is possible. It brings together musicians, activists, poets, critics, theatre practitioners, film makers, dancers, environmentalists, academics, journalists, solidarity activists, dreamers and realists, cultural and political workers, from any and all of the Latin American countries and from throughout the UK. It is a special, self-organised space, a weekend to come together and share current work, to perform, watch, listen, dance, debate, argue and learn – all in the spirit of Victor Jara in its widest possible sense. And of course to depart homewards energised, better informed, and ready for the next challenges we all face.
The 20th anniversary festival is an opportunity to reflect on 20 years of making this happen – whatever the political tides locally and globally of the day. Each festival focusses mainly on 2 overlapping themes – a chosen Latin American country where struggles that we know all too little about are happening every day, and an ‘across the countries and continents’ theme relevant to all in Latin America, Wales and the UK. This gives each summer’s festival a unique flavour – whether it be focussing on Mexico and Women’s struggles, or Colombia and Eco-Socialism, Bolivia and the Rights of Small Nations & Indigenous Peoples etc. Our chosen themes for the 2025 festival, a smaller ‘mini-festival’ which happens every other year, are to celebrate the 20th anniversary, together with the Power of Solidarity to help shape our world and to enrich our lives.
Weekend or day tickets, details of past festivals and up to date information on 2025 and the music and workshop programmes as they develop can be obtained from the festival website : www.elsuenoexiste.com or by sending an email to elsuenoexiste19@gmail.com asking to be added to the ‘Mailchimp’ list to receive occasional updates direct to your inbox.
As Chilean academic and activist Dr Francisco Dominguez said:
It’s a kind of Magic Realism, like something from a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel – the biggest celebration of Victor Jara in the UK happening every year in a small town near the end of the line in beautiful West Wales. It’s political and cultural solidarity at its very best.
And Jeremy Corbyn is also a longstanding festival supporter, saying:
El Sueno is a wonderful festival, celebrating the verve and vibrancy of modern Latin America. It’s not to be missed.
But most of all it is those who gather each summer in Machynlleth, whatever their role, who make this such an amazing and enduring part of the solidarity and festival scene in Britain. One first time attender in 2024 said “It’s like festivals used to be!” and one of the 2nd generation Chileans who attends every year said “I love the way the politics comes together with the music and culture, which is very much what I believe should happen, for progressive causes.”
As Allende said: “¡No Hay Revolución sin Canción! There is no Revolution without Song!“
Another Chilean, exiled since the late 1970s said, at last year’s festival:
It’s essential to have this festival for all the communities that are exiled, because there aren’t that many spaces where we can voice our culture, where we can let people know why we are here. And we all do it through song, poetry, art in so many ways.
El Sueño Existe is supported by (but not funded by) Alborada, The Peace and Justice Project, Latin America Bureau and many other campaigning solidarity and environmental organisations. The spirit of Victor Jara extends to rejecting any form of corporate sponsorship. The festival is people-powered, aiming to break even through ticket sales and other donations only.
Festival 2024, keeping the dream alive, and passing the message on to younger generations
If this sounds like your sort of festival, visit the website www.elsuenoexiste.com and send the festival an email to get on the mailing list – elsuenoexiste19@gmail.com Weekend tickets are now on sale direct from the website.
We’ll look forward to seeing you in Machynlleth in September to help keep the spirit and the dream of Victor Jara and millions of others alive and kicking!
