Ali Primera: Rebel voice that shook the hegemony of the Fourth Republic (+seeding)

On February 16, 1985, Ely Rafael Primera Rosell, a Venezuelan activist and singer-songwriter who dedicated his life to the fight for the construction of a better world under the flags of Bolivarianism and socialism, died.

He was born on October 31, 1941 in Falcón. From humble origins, Ali, as he was called by his relatives, had to dedicate himself to work from an early age.

After completing his primary studies, he moved to Caracas to attend high school, where he earned his living as a shoe cleaner, masonry assistant and street vendor.

He then entered the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) to study chemistry. It is in this house of studies that Ali most strongly assumes his political and ideological construction, and he became a member of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), where he decided to dedicate himself to promoting his career as a singer and composer.

His first songs, Humanidad y No Basta Rezar, the latter presented at the Protest Song Festival organized by the University of Los Andes in 1967, propelled him to fame within the movement of the new Latin American song.

He then moved to the Socialist Republic of Romania to study petroleum engineering at a Polytechnic University in Bucharest.

In Europe, to earn a living, he washed dishes and sometimes managed to sing in places where his work was respected. In a studio in Germany he recorded his first album, entitled 'People of my land'.

His rebellion against the hegemony of the capitalist system prompted him to abandon the studies that would turn him into an engineer to work in transnational oil companies, so in 1973 he decided to return to Venezuela and dedicate himself to political and ideological struggle through music.

At this stage, he resigned from the PCV and began, together with José Vicente Rangel and other leaders, the formation of a new political force that they decided to call the Movement for Socialism (MAS).

Given the strength and combativity of his compositions, he became an object of constant siege and threat by the repressive forces of the Adeco-Copeyan regime, persecution that led to the veto of his artistic work on radio stations because they were considered “subversive”.

These actions did not diminish the spirit of this guide who continued to expand his voice with such force that it resonated in several countries of our America, who saw in every stanza of Ali his desires and dreams of freedom, equality and equity.

On February 16, 1985, the world received the regrettable news of Ali's death, awakening the cry of a people who decided to take every stanza of this giant's work to turn them into action.

39 years after planting this singer-songwriter, the people sing their songs with the strength and conviction to make this world a better place for humanity.

Mazo News Team