Remembering Ali Primera, activist songwriter of the dispossessed

The singer/songwriter Ali Primera Rossel was born on October 31, 1942. He was also an activist for the dispossessed. In 1969 he recorded his first album, which was banned by the government of his country because he spoke of poverty in Venezuela. On February 16, 1985 he died in a car accident, leaving behind a trail of epic songs such as "Paraguaná," "Cardboard houses," and "Gentle song for a brave people." In 2005, Commander Hugo Chavez declared his music part of Venezuela's national heritage. teleSUR