Tropical Diaspora® Records is profoundly honored to present the latest offering from the nomadic musical project Riosentí, a haunting and beautiful new single born from the heart of movement and memory.
Riosentí, the duo of Aline Novaro (Argentina) and Josué Avalos (Mexico), are modern troubadours. Their music is a journey, deeply rooted in the sonorous traditions of south-east Mexico and brought to life with the intimate strum of the guitar and the vibrant rhythm of the jarana. They don't just play music; they map the emotional landscapes of the diaspora through sound.
The words we use for movement define us: itinerant, traveller, migrant, rover, gypsy, transient, vagabond, refugee. At Tropical Diaspora® Records, we see these not as separate labels, but as synonyms for the universal human story of displacement—a story that began the first time our ancestors left Africa. We are all people of movement, and we are proud of this shared heritage.
It was on their own journey through the lush highlands of Chiapas that Aline and Josué were moved to compose a song of immense power and sorrow. This single is a heartfelt tribute to their friend and comrade, the late Alberta “Bety” Cariño Trujillo.
Bety was a beacon of hope, the director of the Community Support Center Trabajando Unidos in Oaxaca, Mexico. A fierce defender of indigenous rights, she was tragically killed alongside Finnish human rights observer Jyri Jaakkola by paramilitary forces on April 27, 2010, while on a humanitarian mission to an autonomous community. Their murderers remain at large, a stark emblem of impunity.
Riosentí’s song transforms this pain into a potent act of musical witness. It is not a lament of defeat, but a resonant cry for justice—a melody that carries Bety's spirit and the enduring fight of the communities she loved. It is a beautiful, urgent reminder that some journeys are interrupted, but their purpose echoes forever in the hearts of those who continue to walk, sing, and remember.
Listen, share, and join Riosentí in ensuring Bety and Jyri are not forgotten.