Galpón Víctor Jara 2.66

Galpón Víctor Jara is a cultural center located in Santiago, Chile, in Barrio Brasil, an area of the city known for its strong artistic and cultural scene. Managed by the Víctor Jara Foundation, the center is named for the Chilean singer-songwriter and activist who was killed by the Chilean army following the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973. The Galpón is a popular live venue for Chilean bands, particularly those of the New Chilean Cumbia, gypsy and cueca musical styles, such as Chico Trujillo, Banda Conmoción and La Mano Ajena.HistoryFollowing the return to democracy in Chile in 1990, efforts to achieve justice and recognition for Víctor Jara slowly gained momentum. In the early 2000s, the Víctor Jara Foundation campaigned to convert the Víctor Jara Stadium, where Jara was tortured and killed (the stadium, originally called Estadio Chile, was renamed to commemorate Jara in 2004), into a cultural center, but encountered difficulties from local authorities. A solution was found in the space occupied by the Foundation itself, in Plaza Brasil, the heart of Barrio Brasil, a cultural hub in the western part of Santiago. Galpón Víctor Jara opened there in 2003. Joan Jara, the Foundation’s founder and Jara’s widow, said at the time that “we want to be a meeting place for all kinds of artists: Chilean, foreign and those alternative artists who don’t fit in anywhere else.”