Lila Downs - Social Activism

Social Activism

Downs has been a social activist throughout her entire career because she works to maintain a cultural identity in the eye of social distress. For example, she sings with passion, and admiration for her home in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her music draws out many socially significant issues, such as the mistreatment and misunderstanding of indigenous peoples of Oaxaca, by celebrating their Mixtec heritage through song. Her albums are socially significant, especially her album, One Blood, or Una Sangre, which includes songs such as La Digificada, which is a song about Dina Ochoa's assassination. She was a social activist, and Lila featured her story on her album One Blood. When asked if she is a politician, Lila expresses that she does not want to be a politician because she is not interested in power, instead she wants to support and change society through music. On Friday, October 9, 2009 Downs, along with actress Salma Hayek represented to Mexico in a broadcast worldwide campaign for the foundation One Drop, to preserve water, where they performed the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Shakira U2 Vice President Al Gore and other world-class personalities.