Oct 7, 2026 · 22 min
Nicolás Jaar connects music, memory and political resistance
Nicolás Jaar: Interview & Performance at Democracy Now!
Jaar links Chile’s political history, Palestinian heritage and contemporary systems of occupation and surveillance to the stakes of artistic dissent.
- 1Jaar traces his political imagination from Chile’s 1973 coup and U.S. intervention to his Palestinian family roots.
- 2He connects carceral, border and surveillance systems across the United States, Israel and Chile.
- 3His performance of Mercedes Sosa’s “Solo le pido a Dios” shows how music preserves memory and sustains resistance.
Don't miss
Nicolás Jaar performs Mercedes Sosa’s “Solo le pido a Dios” and explains why recognizable music can preserve memory and inspire resistance.
The brief
Amy Goodman introduces Nicolás Jaar, whose Chilean and Palestinian heritage frames a conversation about music, political history and the forces that shape his work.
Jaar connects Chile’s 1973 coup and U.S. intervention in Latin America to contemporary violence, then turns to artists confronting silence over the war in Gaza.
His Palestinian family roots in Bethlehem and childhood in Chile’s Palestinian community lead Jaar to link diaspora, occupation, borders and surveillance across countries.
Jaar performs Mercedes Sosa’s “Solo le pido a Dios,” a song he heard growing up, and explains how familiar melodies preserve memory while carrying political feeling.
For Jaar, music is a technology of resistance: it can unite people, communicate across contexts and keep histories emotionally present.
Books & mentions
Some links are affiliate links — PodLume may earn a commission if you buy.
