Vox populi , or vox pópuli according to its Castilianization, is an expression of the Latin language that can be translated as “voice of the people.” The speech is used with reference to what everyone knows and repeats .
Something that is vox populi, therefore, is known by all people. Generalizations, of course, are always inaccurate: the idea refers to a certain knowledge that is shared by the majority of the members of a community.
Let's take the case of the president of a country who has commented in various journalistic articles that his favorite food is pizza . Given the magnitude of the figure in question and the reiteration of information at different times and places, many inhabitants of the nation know that pizza is the president's favorite food. It can be said, in this way, that this information is vox populi.
The expression vox populi also usually appears together with the phrase vox Dei (which translates as “voice of God” ). This is how the concept of vox populi, vox Dei is formed, which indicates that the “voice of the people” is the “voice of God” .
The notion is linked to the power or strength that popular beliefs have. If more than 500,000 people participate in a demonstration to reject a government project, some analyst may say that said protest is so large that the leaders are obliged to listen to the demand: vox populi (in this case, the march ), vox Dei (the impact that it causes and that forces the demand to be met).
In the same way, we cannot ignore that vox populi is used in many areas at a cultural level. Thus, for example, we come across the film “Vox Populi”, which was released in 2008. It is of Dutch origin and is directed by Eddy Tersall, while starring actors such as Tara Elders, Ton Kas and Johnny de Mol.
It is a film that falls within the comedy genre and revolves around the world of politics. It does so through the central character, who is a middle-aged politician who realizes that he is losing his leadership and to regain it he carries out all kinds of actions, which many of the members of his party do not like.
Specifically, we can also add that it is part, along with the feature films “Simon” (2004) and “SEXtet” (2007), of a trilogy about contemporary Dutch society.
Furthermore, we cannot forget that “Vox Populi” is also the title of a Spanish periodical publication. We are referring to the magazine published by the Official Language School of Pamplona every six months.
The origin of this publication can be found in 1999, which has a circulation of approximately 1,500 copies, which is free and which has become a true reference for the aforementioned academic institution. In it you can enjoy numerous articles, reports and interviews in various languages.