Ghost Songs: The Effects Of An Urban Natural Disaster On National Identity In Nicaragua

Abstract

This study examines Nicaraguan music before and after the 1972 Managuan earthquake for evidence of changes in Nicaraguan national identity. Central issues are indigenous groups, colonialism, Catholicism, and communism in Nicaragua. A total of four musical examples are analyzed, three songs dating before the earthquake and one from after. These songs provide evidence for changes in Nicaraguan national identity. The study concludes that the earthquake brought about an increase in public exposure to indigenous Nicaraguan music. Indigenous Nicaraguan musical styles have been incorporated into modern Nicaraguan popular music, which in turn has influenced Nicaraguan national identity as a whole.