A trade is an accumulation of very different elements.
The first meanings of the term exchange mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary refer to an exchange or exchange that takes place under unclear conditions or that involves elements of little value. These uses of the concept generally have a pejorative or derogatory meaning.
For example: "The government promotes the exchange of old appliances with high energy consumption for more modern and efficient ones" , "Tomorrow there will be a book exchange in the main square" , "The two teams are looking for an exchange to exchange their figures" .
In several South American countries , on the other hand, the notion of cambalache is used with reference to that which contains or exhibits components with very different characteristics from each other . A trade, in this sense, implies a variety of things: “This political party is a trade! It is made up of communists, liberals and nationalists” , “I don't understand anything about this film, it's a swap” , “The new album by the Jamaican artist offers a swap of styles” .
The “Cambalache” tango
“Cambalache” is also the title of a famous tango composed by the Argentine Enrique Santos Discépolo in 1934 . The song denounces various problems that were experienced in Argentina during the so-called Infamous Decade , which in reality lasted more than ten years (1930-1943). Due to the content of its lyrics, “Cambalache” is still valid since its verses can be applied to different regions and times.
The Infamous Decade was the period in which Argentina suffered the coup d'état that led to the overthrow of Hipólito Yrigoyen , its then president; It began on September 6, 1930 and ended on June 4, 1943 , after having overthrown Ramón Castillo , another president, also with a coup d'état. The name of this stage was coined by journalist José Luis Torres , but it is also known as Neoconservative Restoration or Conservative Restoration Period .
«Cambalache» is one of the most famous tangos.
Masterpiece by Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo , for his part, was a musician, composer, writer and filmmaker born in Buenos Aires in 1901 , who many know by the nickname " Discepolín ". Despite his various talents, tango composition was the reason why he stood out in his time and managed to transcend to the present day; According to lovers of this musical genre, some of his works are among the golden tangos (also known as fundamental tangos ), a list of which "Cafetín de Buenos Aires" , "Yira, yira" , "Uno" and «Cambalache» .
Discépolo wrote the tango Cambalache to be part of the film titled "El alma del bandoneón" , for which he also wrote and co-wrote other songs . The performer who gave it life for the first time was Ernesto Famá , accompanied by Francisco Lomuto 's orchestra.
Once the Infamous Decade ended, the military government began a campaign that aimed to prohibit the use of lunfardo and any expression that could be considered immoral or whose impact would be negative for the language. Likewise, censorship prevented any reference to excessive alcohol consumption and subsequent drunkenness, as well as any comments containing negative ideas about the country. As expected, the tango "Cambalache" fell on the Internet and that is why its radio broadcasting became illegal.
People and characters named in "Cambalache"
Among the people mentioned in the tango lyrics are Napoleon and San Martín ; the Ukrainian swindler surnamed Stravisky ; the Italian educator, writer and priest known as Don Bosco , founder of the Salesian Congregation ; the Argentine mobster nicknamed Don Chicho ; and the Italian boxer Carnera .
Finally there is " la mignon ", sometimes written with a capital letter, which some consider a reference to a character created by Goethe .
Finally, in the municipality of Arecibo ( Puerto Rico ), there is a small neighborhood called Cambalache . Its surface area does not reach nine square kilometers.