Trujillo Merengue

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While debate and meticulous analysis are inherent to ethnomusicology, few musics can rival merengue in terms of its contested and convoluted identity, which a thorough musical and historical examination of the style illuminates. Shortly after its Dominican debut in the 1800s, the elite rejected merengue, denouncing its alleged provocativeness and the African culture with which its roots were deeply intertwined. Merengue, therefore, quickly became a rural music. The agricultural setting’s detachment from the aforementioned “high society” shielded it from urban criticism, which allowed the community to nurture a new style – Cibao. In 1931, Rafael Trujillo usurped government control and upended traditional perceptions of merengue. When he promoted the genre as national music, it reached an unparalleled …show more content…
Despite his absolute power within the DR, Trujillo still cared deeply about his image on the national stage. Attending New York City’s 1939 World’s Fair motivated Trujillo to implement a similar practice. His 1955 “Feria de la Paz,” which heavily featured merengue, cultivated a relatively favorable perception of his administration. Although merengue allowed Trujillo to make notable political strides, he failed to acknowledge its full history. Despite his Haitian ancestry, Trujillo was an appalling racist, a label that he wore unabashedly. In 1937, he orchestrated a massacre of between 12,000 and 40,000 Haitian DR residents. As such, the recalcitrant dictator repudiated merengue’s African roots. This concealment reflected the prejudice that continued to bind merengue. The Post-Trujillo Dominican Republic Following Trujillo’s assassination in 1961 and eventual succession by Joaqun Balaguer, a free market replaced the Dominican Republic’s command
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