Cycles of Contempt: Exploring Argentine-IMF Relations Through Protest Music

Abstract:Argentina has a history of tumultuous agreements with the International Monetary Fund. While the IMF has provided essential economic support, their loan agreements have often caused further economic issues that most profoundly impact the middle and working class, such as high inflation and poverty rates. This has created much frustration among the people, and they have taken these frustrations into music, protesting the damage and harm that is produced by the IMF’s involvement in Argentina. These protest songs can be analyzed through Jeneve Brooks’ EMM- framing theory, with EMM standing for emotive, moral, and mnemonic, to understand how the IMF is negatively represented and how the songs can influence the public’s opinion on the IMF. This paper makes use of this theoretical framework to analyze three examples of Argentine protest songs against the IMF: “Estoy tocando fondo” by Viuda e Hijas de Roque Enroll,“F.M.I. (Sufre Sudamérica)” by Fun People, and “Sinceramente militamos” by La Cámpora. This analysis provides insight into the increasing reactiveness of the Argentine people against the IMF, which was witnessed in 2021 and 2022 when protests broke out over negotiations between the IMF and the Argentine government even though an agreement had yet to be made.