Fandango at the Wall: Creating Harmony Between the United States and Mexico

The US-Mexican relationship has involved periods of great friendship with robust trade and loose immigration policies. But its history has also been beset by wars, drug trade, and human trafficking. With the latest xenophobic turn toward Mexico, this book contextualizes the latest swing in the up-and-down, two-hundred-year history of these two countries.

In a lyrical narrative reflecting on Fandango Fronterizo, an annual musical celebration held on both sides of the border wall, Sehgal addresses how the broken US-Mexico relationship has been repaired in the past and continues to adapt today. FANDANGO AT THE WALL provides clarity to the current debate regarding construction of the wall and America's posture toward immigration. Sehgal and his artistic collaborators brought over thirty musicians from various traditions to the San Diego-Tijuana border to record a musical repertoire composed of son jarocho songs from Veracruz, Mexico and Latin jazz. With these tunes accompanying a call-to-action narrative, FANDANGO AT THE WALL demonstrates how music can heal and provide a soundtrack for the US, Mexico, and beyond.