Mexico's president unveils a plan to promote non-violent music over 'narco corridos'

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she has a plan to reduce the popularity of “narco corridos,” a musical genre often linked to drug cartel violence.

Sheinbaum vowed to launch a campaign to promote other, less violent musical styles that aren’t as linked to drug traffickers in an effort to stop glorifying them.

The campaign includes “a competition among corrido bands that have some other kind of lyrics, that glorify other behaviors, other cultural visions,” Sheinbaum said, noting that ”prohibiting them is not an option." Instead, she said, "it's about promoting another vision."

Her secret weapon is a 47-year-old northern governor who occasionally sings more traditional “banda” songs.

“One of the ideas we came up with was in Durango,” said Sheinbaum. "We talked about it with the governor, I don’t know if you knew, but he is a ‘banda’ singer.”

Gov. Esteban Villegas has taken a few turns on stage singing banda music, which while it is also driven by horns and bass, is more likely to praise cowboys and poor working people.

Peso Pluma, one of the biggest names in regional Mexican music, on the other hand, prides himself on signing “belicon" or aggressive ”tumbado" songs sprinkled with references to trafficking drugs.

At varying times, some Mexican cities have tried to ban live performance by singers of narco corridos, with mixed success.

Marco Antonio Gordoa Obeso, the leader of a musicians' union in the northern city of Mazatlan, said he would like to see other types of music succeed, but some audiences prefer narco corridos.

“People ask for it,” Gordoa Obeso said. “Who am I to deny somebody their preference?”

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