Last week was the much awaited Rendezvous, watercolor painting in Mérida, Mexico. Besides the five finished paintings I had committed to, I had one other goal for the week, to watch the half time Super Bowl show ie, Bad Bunny.
To be clear, I am not a music person. When Lady Gaga showed up on the screen of the sweet little neighborhood bar down the street, I didn’t know who she was at first. I know, don’t stone me. I did know Ricky Martin immediately.
I was intent on listening to the music but the mostly non-Mexican bar patrons, WOULDN’T SHUT UP.
I realized that they weren’t any different from folks I’ve spoken to in the States, the only history is OUR history, the only music is what I like and understand, and the only culture is white US culture (whatever that is).
Because of my algorithms, I have since learned about the history of Puerto Rico and how Benito (BB) schooled us on the world’s biggest stage. What an amazing show of unity and love.
I also found out that Benito wore a bullet proof vest to the Grammy’s and had a hospital-on-wheels parked outside “just in case.”
How have we come to this?
DOS TORTAS
the adventures of dos tortas 
I think he also wore a bullet proof vest at the halftime show. How very sad to have to do that. And yeah, that’s what we’ve come to. It’s heartbreaking.
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I spent a couple of hours the day after the halftime show reading “play-by-play” information–trying to get schooled (if you will) on what BB was telling/showing the world about his culture. Colonialism by the USA continues unabated. I watched the show again with new knowledge and fell in love with Bad Bunny. It was a brilliant show.
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Great post, Lisa. I enjoyed the halftime show and watched it back a couple of times, seeing more each time. The sugar cane and the local vendors reminded me of parts of Belize and Mexico, and I was happy to see the Belizean flat prominently at the front of the parade, just behind Puerto Rico. But when BB called out “all” the Latin American countries, he omitted Belize. I did enjoy it and was glad to watch a video explaining more of the message, because my Spanish isn’t nearly good enough to catch more than a few words here and there.
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