Christell - Calama Incident

Calama Incident

During the summer of 2004, on February 21, while Christell was giving a show in Calama city, she began to feel stomach discomfort and her father asked her for one more song to calm the people (who were hooting for the show to continue). This situation was recorded by Andrea Espinoza, who went to the show with her daughter. She said she felt very bad to see the girl singing while she was sick and that was the reason why she had decided to publicize the video.

The exhibition of the tape unleashed all kinds of reactions, including the possibility of exploitation by the father. The father of the artist recognized he had committed a mistake and said: "It was my mistake on not having measured how sick she was feeling... I've should have listened to my wife who told me that Christell shouldn't act".

Christell was taken to Calama's medical center that morning where "they did a stable diagnosis to her. In the evening she was good and energetic as always and she did want to sing. Then she started feeling bad again, but it was during the show and we take her again to the clinic ". He added: " It was a mistake to ask Christell for another song, but I did it because I couldn't handle the situation neither the pressure of the audience. It wasn't to ask her, but to give her an idea to get out of the situation, it was a mistake not to be able to handle the pressure of the people. I do not want to be seen as an exploiter for this”.

TVN the TV show Rojo Fama Contrafama and particularly Rafael Araneda (the entertainer of the TV show) clarified they did not know of the situation, and though they had a conversation with the parents of little girl after the incident, Araneda clarified that the girl never had a saturated agenda and assured that singing is only a game for her, and that her parents have never forced her to go on the stage. and the program (Rojo Fama Contrafama) which was read by Rafael Araneda in the program where they clarify they always protected the integrity of the little girl:

"In the presentation to the press of the new season of "Rojo Fama Contrafama", a position of the tvshow was requested opposite to Christell Rodríguez's private artistic performances, in the opportunity it was said that the topic would be approached in the tvshow ... today after knowing the video that shows to the evidently sick girl and being incited to continue with the show organized in Calama city, we demonstrate our more absolute rejection, to actions of this kind that commit an outrage against the fundamental rights of the girl".

"For our part we have the most absolute conviction that the relation that Christell has had with the tvshow Rojo Fama Contrafama adjusts completely to the law that recognizes the artistic activities of the young girl. In Christell's concrete case it is necessary to emphasize that her participation in the tvshow has been designed in such a way of respecting and protecting the own needs of her age ... ".

After the case was investigated by the National Service of Minors (SENAME), they concluded there was no intent of exploitation of any kind. The topic was closed and Christell continued with her normal activities and her artistic career.