Juana María Alejandra Galdona Sánchez, or Mari, is a 24-year-old Argentine writer, performer and singer born in Venezuela, a self-proclaimed “transvestite daughter of a teenage marriage.” Almost six years ago, before she transitioned, Mari began making music alongside Ricardo Ache, a 74-year old. Together, they would for the duo Fama y Guita, mixing cumbia, punk and pop underneath political satire.
“Before migrating here my grandfather grabbed me and made me promise that in Argentina I would not become homosexual, a drug addict or a communist,” says Mari. “And here we are.”
Ricardo Ache, or Ric, is 74 years old. He and Mari met at a poetry slam. He started making music when he was twelve, in a Beatles cover band. He and Mari write and record music together.
Mari gets ready for a show in the Cultural del Barrio, an antifascist venue for underground music in Buenos Aires.
Audience members run into the venue to see Fama y Guita. “We are the most countercultural, controversial and danceable band of CABA (Buenos Aires),” says Mari.
The shows create a space for queer youth to express frustration against the government. President Milei has rolled back LGBTQ+ rights since coming into office– “The Chainsaw is going to end up cutting off all our heads,” said Mari in an interview.
Mari flies an Argentinian flag over the crowd.
Mari walks with her friend down the street, away from Cultura del Barrio. A storm is coming, and the wind is picking up.
Ric smokes in his bedroom during a rehearsal break. On his wall are mementos, photos and posters of Juan and Eva Perón. A militant left-wing Peronist, he fled to Spain in the 1980’s to escape the dictatorship.
Ric and Mari rehearse in Ric’s house. They use the “Pomodoro Method” to budget their time. After each 20 minutes of rehearsal, a timer goes off, and they take a five-minute break.
In the morning, Mari cleans the lipstick stains off her flags. “I have no idea how they got there,” she says. Fama y Guita will have another show tomorrow.
Mari started making music with Ric just before she transitioned. Fama y Guita developed as Mari grew into her gender identity, finishing a stage of physical metamorphosis. Her name, “Mariposa,” means butterfly.
