Spanish singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat described the Chilean president, Gabriel Borico, as “a politician who, despite his age, has great virtues” and “a man with big and good plans”. He did so after being received by the president (who is 36 years old) at La Moneda, during on his last day of touring in Chile.

“He does not lack commitment to anyone, as other old politicians can drag. to confessin this sense, and therefore freedom of action,” the Catalan pointed out.

Serrat said he will leave “happy” after wrapping up his tour of Chile “with an audience that absolutely embraces me” at Saturday and Sunday concerts. And he admitted that although he made “efforts to maintain happiness, there is always some grain of sadness“.

“I have always been involved in Chile since 1970 and his political and vital project,” said the singer-songwriter at the end of the meeting with the president.

Boric went to the Catalan singer-songwriter’s last concert on Sunday: was greeted with a standing ovation and thousands of attendees cheered and sang to the cry of “Boric, man, the people are with you”.

On Saturday, the government spokesman minister, Camila Vallejohe was also in the audience and was greeted with applause.

Thus, Serrat greeted his Chilean audience, after the last presentation there of his tour “The Vice of Singing”with which he crossed Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Argentina, and that it marks the end of his stage careeras announced by the musician.

Its long history with Chile

Joan Manuel Serrat premiered in Chile in 1969at the Municipal Theater of Santiago, and has played twice at the Viña del Mar Festival, where performed his first versions of classics by Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara and other Latin American artists.

the songwriter it was forbidden to enter the country during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) and one of the best remembered episodes is that of September 1988, when could not participate in a closing act of the “No” campaign in the plebiscite that decided to end 17 years of that regime.

The dictatorship accused the singer-songwriter of “having carried out acts contrary to the interests of Chile, of having participated in campaigns that offend and denigrate the government of the Republic, of having participated in political campaigns contrary to the country and of having expressed offensive opinions against the country” . according to the then secretary general of the government, Colonel Alfonso Rivas Otárola.

Despite the ban, anyway a recording of Serrat arrived and was played during the closing ceremony on loudspeakers: “Very soon we will be together, when Chile will be what it has always been, an example of freedom, mutual respect and peace”he heard the Dwarf say, still and busy.

After the end of the Pinochet dictatorship, Serrat became a recurring visitor to Chileans and, just as he has now with Boric, he met other Chilean leaders: such as Ricardo Lagos in 2003 and 2004 and Michael Bachelet in 2006 and 2015.

EFE agency