La Historia De Rosario Tijeras Llega a La Pantalla Chica

In the wake of this odyssey class’ end, I have found myself becoming both critical yet more appreciative of telenovelas through writing these critically thought-out, open topic blog posts. Specifically, I believe telenovelas themselves have drawn me in as a viewer into the process of the cultural and media production behind it, surrounding its extended global influence. While I had never thought to analyze the purpose behind having incidental music tailored towards the emotions/characters in the storyline or the influence of the actors’ superficial characteristics as it is perceived by both the director/writers and the audience, I can confidently apply these connections and new analytic skills towards telenovelas as I now watch them in my own free time. Personally, I am very elated with my choice of “Rosario Tijeras” as unlike the traditional rosa telenovela or Cinderella stories that were fed to me throughout my childhood, I am able to relate to Rosario in the terms of her dynamic development from such trauma into a self-made and powerful woman in charge. She herself forced change into her surroundings in order to accomplish her means of vengeance and hope for justice with such passion and tenacity rather than relying on a handsome and rich suitor to introduce her into her role as a “house-wife.” I have always appreciated the defiance against traditional standards in television and most media influences and with such, I can truly understand how much telenovelas hold a tremendous significance in the everyday life of those who watch it. While I myself may not be able to wholly relate to Rosario and her situation, those in Latin America who suffer similarily to Rosario are able to find solace/form an attachment to this representation they see in the media. As such, it is truly “part of the everyday fare of Latino family life” (Acosta-Alzuru, 2013). 

           

     With each episode that unfolds, the theme song “Si Vos No Esats Aqui” by El Vampiro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja6fgdfBDqY) plays to reintroduce the main themes found within the telenovela, showcasing a glimpse into the entire journey of Rosario. Keenly enough, unlike other traditional telenovelas, this theme song is unique in the sense that it begins in a soft prayer, relaying the message that one can find its origin, San Cipriano, had created a saint who many people prayed to before practicing witchcraft or committing a crime. For instance, hitmen in Colombia often reiterated this prayer around the 80’s before committing homicide. If you read the excerpt of the prayer below, it roughly translates into a plea to be protected so as not to be “surprised from behind, seen, or grabbed” and to “not let death be violent/bloody or be forsaken” as God knows about their faith despite their sins. 

“Si ojos tienen que no me vean, si manos tienen que no me agarren, si pies tienen que no me alcanzen. No permitas que me sorprendan por la espalda, no permitas que mi muerte sea violenta, no permitas que mi sangre se derrame. Tu que me conoces sabes de mis pecados pero tambien sabes de me Fe. No me desampares. AMEN.”

     When I had researched the meaning behind this prayer, I was stunned by the vehemently powerful prayer that plays as Rosario is introduced in the brief intro. It serves to provide a warning, even if you were to begin watching the first episode without having known anything surrounding the plot as the prayer itself denotes the type of person Rosario will become if she has to pray with that message. Holding religious elements within the dynamic song and contrasting the purpose of this prayer to Rosario’s innocent, feminine look in every episode provides the ultimate juxtaposing representation of the telenovela itself. It seeks to reintroduce each episode with the need to warn you of who Rosario will become and what she will do to get there despite being the faithful and innocent looking schoolgirl you may see on screen. Analyzing the theme song contributed towards my own deeper understanding into how Rosario is portrayed and the beautiful musical elements that a telenovela can maintain while telling a story. 

     Moreover in further analysis of how the audience may perceive the telenovela beyond the music, the production itself became an issue with censorship as new laws began to restrict media influences and information. During the time in which the drama surrounding Venezuelan censorship began, the Ley Resorte law arose to regulate media content and restrict telenovela’s language/storylines and penalizing those who do not comply with the government’s idea of “approval.” As RCTV went off air and only few television networks remained with less domestic competition at the time, the parallel reality of what telenovelas sought to portray from real world problems (like the drug cartels) and what the government wanted people to see become increasingly divisive. In terms of “Rosario Tijeras,” this telenovela that aired during this era too, was under much criticism. For example, a model and radio conductor by the name of Belky Arizala had formally stated her beliefs: “There is a lot of strength and dynamism in the story, but I am worried about the language that is handled. I hope it stays in an adult schedule” (Isabel Peleaz, 2009). While a more moderated criticism than a standard government response to shut down and ban the telenovela as the crime/violence was a bad representation of the country, the actors themselves sought to address the criticism – asking that “Rosario Tijeras should not be judged for so much blood and so much bullets/violence” during the initial launch (in comparison to other rosa telenovelas that were aired at the time to compensate for the Ley Resorte law) (Isabel Peleaz, 2009). Attempting to keep the violent elements of crime, abuse, and drug trafficking that were absolutely key to the plot, “Rosario Tijeras” also reflected much more than the violence observed in the show with such religious, social, and anthropolgical elements embedded in the background of the characters. Within the article “La Historia De Rosario Tijeras Llega a La Pantalla Chica,” the actor Andres Sandoval, who plays Antonio himself, roughly claims that “instead of rejecting reality, we should take off the blindfold that masks us from seeing anything in life that really seems to matter to us… so that we may understand why people come to violence” (Isabel Peleaz, 2009). In this sense, Rosario herself is the prime example of how/why people may come to violence and how naturally, people will sin and make mistakes as they grow older due to the realistic fact that no one in life is truly perfect. The story itself was so essential at its time as it was able to visually reflect the natural setting of the slums/communes of Medellin where both organized/unorganized crime and violence dominated the area. 

     

     The impact of censorship of telenovelas is truly demonstrated by the rate in which non-traditional telenovelas with similar violent storylines like “Rosario Tijeras” were shut down as a result of the Chavez Government, who felt threatened by the social criticisms within the telenovelas (Acosta-Alzuru, 2013). I believe we should all have access to the sensation of telenovelas as censorship is such a major proponent of restricting people from valuable lessons/information that we should all freely be able to share. If we do not have media representation through avenues like television to really expose us to the reality of our world, then we cannot further educate ourselves to stop the problem – especially if we are fed an overly-edited version of life by the government all of our lives. Overall, the rise of global media and all groups of people as a result of the empowering/inspirational effects of telenovelas should not be stifled by the government nor any group. 

Works Cited:

Davila, Ruth E. “Drama Fiends.” Hispanic Executives, 2013

Peleaz, Isabel. “La Historia De Rosario Tijeras Llega a La Pantalla Chica.” El Pais, El Pais, 2009, historico.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Febrero042010/rosarioyepes.html.

Acosta-Alzuru, Carolina. “Melodrama, Reality and Crisis: The Government–Media Relationship

in Hugo Chávez’s Bolivarian Revolution.” International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol.

17, no. 3, 2013, pp. 209–226., doi:10.1177/1367877913488462.