Sonido 33

Sonido 33: Latin American Stories from the other south is a radio documentary program and research project. The program assembles personal stories and the sounds connected by the 33rd parallel south, the geographical latitude that crosses the main urban regions of the Southern Cone and Australia, linking the Latin American and Australian continents and histories.

The project investigated and recorded stories of asylum, migration, and solidarity, set against the backdrop and the sounds of the key political and social events that shaped them. Ten one-hour episodes (plus extended versions) illuminate the modern history of Latin America, focusing on the crucial period from the 1970s to the 1990s. This was a time when the continent changed radically, becoming a political laboratory for the world. It was also during these decades that Latin American migration to Australia peaked, in what was arguably the last refugee wave to be fully welcomed by a broad political spectrum. A powerful solidarity movement helped Australians learn about Latin America, creating a widespread popular awareness of the continent for the first time in the nation’s history.

Eight episodes in Spanish feature Chilean, Argentine, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Venezuelan-Italian refugees and migrants. Two episodes in English display in-depth interviews with Australian solidarity activists. Young members of the Latin American and Australian communities introduce ten compelling stories of political militancy and imprisonment, underground activism, musicianship, internationalism, and plain heroism.

The program was produced and edited by Pablo Nadki Leighton, independent researcher and media educator, and it was supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation and Radio Skid Row, 88.9FM, Marrickville, NSW. The project also includes written transcripts of four oral histories, made possible by the Royal Australian Historical Society.

Credits

Producer and editor: Pablo Nadki Leighton

Music: Cosima Trezise, Bela Trezise, and Pablo Nadki Leighton

Presenters:

Cosima Trezise and Bela Trezise

Anabel Morales

Fernando López

Dilan Ortiz

Marlow Ross