Milonga três nações
Fernanda Rosa
Guarani-Spanish version and trilingual interlude verses by Romy Martínez
Guarani version revision: Gilberto Santacruz
Special guests: A corda em si. Fernanda Rosa, voice. Mateus Costa, double-bass.
See also:
Cedar tree seedling
Walking ahead
The expat
Heavy rain
...which came to embrace humbly the waters of forgiveness,
I ask to the people of Paraguay
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'Milonga Três Nações', translated as 'Three nations milonga, is a song singer and songwriter Fernanda Rosa born in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It was written after a trip to Foz do Iguaçu, in the year 2014. During the flight back to Florianópolis, where she currently lives, Fernanda flew over the splendid region of the Iguaçu Falls, where she could see the course of its waters and falls which flow into the great 'Rio Paraná'. The panoramic view showed the banks of both rivers that define geographical borders between the countries of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Fernanda was impressed by the images of the Paraná River tinged by the red characteristic colour of the soil mixing in with the river banks: “The river looked like a serpent, winding and full of life. The waters of Paraná have an extraordinary force ”.
The water images of the Paraná River also made Fernanda remember the War of Paraguay, a historical conflict which occurred in the 19th century between the countries that formed the Triple Alliance - Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - against Paraguay. “This war made this country victim of an inhumane ambush, it is part of a past that is still very present in the lives of all Paraguayans”, he points out.
The visual experience and also the intense conversations with Romy Martinez served as inspiration to create the song 'Milonga Três Nações'. According to Fernanda, only the fresh waters of the Paraná River, which are born in the centre of Brazil as its 'heart' located in state Minas Gerais and bathe the three nations, could treat the wounds of the past. The song was then written as a request for forgiveness from the Brazilian people to the Paraguayan people.
Flows of inspiration
Just as the waters of the river flow towards the sea, the song 'Milonga Três Nações' emerged as a drain of inspiration for the Purahéi Trio. This is because the whole proposal of the song has elements that correspond to the main objective of the group: to unite three neighboring nations through music.
'Milonga Três Nações' suggests a dialogue between the countries bathed by the Paraná River. Thus, Romy decided to explore the expressive peculiarities of each language: Guarani, Spanish and Portuguese. In the interlude Romy declaims loose verses in the three languages ​​as a way of drawing attention to the lack of dialogue between the three countries.
The song ends with a Guarani and Spanish version sung by Romy as a way to respond to the song's request for forgiveness. "Paraguay is a bilingual country, so I thought that the best way to express this answer would be in the two languages ​​spoken in the country".
The recording also featured the duo A Corda em Si, formed by Fernanda Rosa (voice) and Mateus Costa (double-bass). In the last stanza the two singers interspersed voices and languages, thus sealing a pardon from the waters of the Paraná River and bathing the three nations.
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Text by Cinthya Dávila, journalist