On Saturday (Sept. 6), the Puerto Rican rap star Residente carried out a free live performance, which came about on the Zócalo, the primary public sq. of Mexico Metropolis. The previous Calle 13 member’s present drew a crowd of a little bit over 180,000, in line with studies from the Mexican authorities. The gang rapturously cheered on Residente and confirmed their solidarity with Palestinians, highlighted by one set in the course of the present the place the rapper carried out “Guerra” after delivering a plea for peace in Gaza whereas wearing a sweatshirt that learn “Free Palestine” on the entrance in Spanish.
The gang on the Zócalo started to chant “Free Palestine” as Residente invited the Abed household to affix him on stage. The Abeds are a household of 18 who fled Gaza in Might, arriving in Mexico with the help of one member of the family, Shadi Abed, and others who donated to the crowdfunding marketing campaign arrange for the group.
“Everybody deserves equal alternatives. We have to assist entry to schooling, and it may be achieved. Thanks for being right here with all of your vitality. I like you, Mexico,” Residente stated to the group in the course of the present. The 29-time Latin Grammy Award-winning artist delivered a torrid set of his songs, together with the deeply private “René,” “Fiesta de Locos,” “El Aguante,” “La Vuelta al Mundo” and his tune devoted to the plight of immigrants in the US, “That is Not America.”
The Abed household’s look on stage wasn’t the one time that Palestine was referenced. Cellist Sara Dowling al Husseini was one of many opening acts to the live performance, enjoying conventional Palestinian songs all through her set. A whole bunch within the viewers additionally waved Palestinian flags. Different artists additionally confirmed assist by sporting the keffiyeh on stage, together with Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada who joined Residente to carry out the Calle 13 hit from 2010, “Latinoamérica.”
In keeping with the Mexico Metropolis Ministry of Tradition, the turnout on the free occasion made it the third most-attended live performance within the public sq.’s historical past, with the Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs having the most important crowd at their present in June 2023 with 300,000. 4 hundred thousand followers additionally caught the live performance’s livestream with the large crowd onsite, and among the many attendees in individual was Mexico Metropolis’s mayor, Clara Brugada.
