Martha Older

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PUPUSA SONG                                                           Pupusas! p. 1

(A song by Martha Older/19 Cameron Ave./Cambridge, MA, USA
active@ureach.com..    © 2004 – If you need the tune, I will
sing it onto your answering machine, or send a tape)                                            




INTRODUCTION:

In El Salvador, the “national food,” so to speak, is the
“pupusa.”  It’s a truly delicious form of tortilla with various
fillings inside the dough.  It’s made by first patting out the
dough, then grabbing some filling and shaping the dough around
it.  It’s made with a slapping motion between the hands and then
flung on the grille – a wonderful choreography I tried hard to
capture in photos.

CAFTA, recently approved by representatives of the US and the
Central American governments, would be a disaster for the Latin
countries, including El Salvador.  1.  They would be required to
allow patenting of intellectual property, including, for
example, their biochemical assets due to plants and animals they
have.  (One city is currently trying to list and register all
the plant and animal species found there.)   2.  They would also
be subject to lawsuits for any restrictions on corporations that
MIGHT impact their future earnings!  So forget about labor laws,
safety laws, environmental restrictions, etc. (which is already
beginning to happen under NAFTA – and US companies and
governments are among those being sued).  3.  They would be
required to open all their public services up for international
bidding.  4.  Finally, they would be allowed to export, or
export more of, some 9700 items – of which El Salvador really
only has three categories.  (El Salvador has virtually no
natural resources, so the Conquistadors just used the
Salvadorans as cheap labor.)  The three categories in which they
would be allowed increase exports are electronic recording items
(such as cassette tapes); clothing, which they assemble in
sweatshops; and the already-saturated  “nostalgia” market, which
includes pupusas.

During the process of selling CAFTA to Salvadorans, there was a
TV ad showing two women slapping out pupusas and saying to each
other, “when CAFTA is approved, we’ll be able to sell more
pupusas!”  So the pupusa has become a sort of shorthand
reference for CAFTA.

Now you can understand this song – but one more note:  CAFTA
still needs to be ratified by the legislatures of the various
countries.  In the US, there is resistance.  PLEASE LOBBY YOUR
LEGISLATORS TO WITHHOLD APPROVAL.









 Pupusas!       

(A song by Martha Older/19 Cameron Ave./Cambridge, MA, USA
active@ureach.com..    © 2004 – If you need the tune, I will
sing it onto your answering machine, or send a tape)            

                                                Pupusas! p. 2


Way down in EL Salvador,  
They say CAFTA’s gonna bring ‘em more 
Of things that they will all adore,      
That they’re longing for so muich.                       

CHORUS (sung after each verse):  
    They’re gonna sell pupusas (pupusa, pusa, pusa, pu)
    Yeah, they'll export pupusas.  (pupusa . . . ) 
    So slap out those pupusas, cause
    We’re gonna eat ‘em up!
    . . .      We’re gonna eat em u-up!

They’re gonna sell us tanks and guns
Now we’ll have them on the run!
It sure will be a lot of fun,
‘Cause they’ve scared us all so much!
    CHORUS

They’re gonna sell us locomotives, ooooooo (train sound)
Diesel and electrical, too
They’re just sitting there, with nothing to do,
Without tracks, it’s sure been tough!
    CHORUS

Space satellites will sure be fun
And diamonds – yeah, that’s where they’re from!
Rubies, pearls and uranium –
Of which they have too much!
    CHORUS

They’re gonna sell all their services to us –
Fire, water, justice without a fuss
Transport – airports to local bus
Schools! -- They’ll learn so much.
    CHORUS

Well folks, I’ve been to El Salvador
Their wonderful pupusas I do adore
They sure are well worth waiting for
And frozen they’ll be tough enough!
    CHORUS