There was a gathering on Twitter that few people would have expected: René Pérez, better known as “Residente” from the musical group Calle 13 [1] —a group that resists any type of classification—, and Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks [2], gathered ideas and suggestions from Twitter users to write a song together that will go on Calle 13's next album.
The song will be about the manipulation of the media. The idea behind gathering suggestions from Twitter users is explained by René Pérez himself in one of his tweets:
@Calle13Oficial [3]: Estamos escribiendo todas sus ideas para luego nosotros manipularlas al igual que los medios nos hacen a nosotros #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@Calle13Oficial [3]: We are writing down all of your ideas to later manipulate them ourselves just as the media does to us #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
Julian Assange and Calle 13 at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where Assange is currently staying after asking the Ecuadorian government for asylum. Photo taken from Calle 13's official Twitter account @Calle13Oficial [5].
Assange and Pérez created the hashtag #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] which was trending worldwide just a few minutes after the start of the event. Pérez put out a series of questions to provoke reactions from those tweeting. It should not seem strange that, in the days following the scandalous revelations made by Edward Snowden [6] about the huge secret surveillance scheme of the United States government, some of the answers were loaded with sarcasm, others with depth, and others even with rage, but all demonstrating the incredible diversity of human beings. There were some that were simply genius. Of the thousands of answers that people wrote, hardly a tiny fraction are shown here:
@Calle13Oficial [7]: ¿Por qué no confían en los servicios de seguridad? #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@Calle13Oficial [7]: Why don't you trust the security services? #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@FabrielGara [8]: #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] ¿Cómo confiaría en alguien cuyo trabajo es estar dispuesto a matarme?
@FabrielGara [8]: #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] How could I trust someone whose job it is to be prepared to kill me?
@AngelCouvertier [9]: La seguridad nacional nace y se mantiene con la sangre de los inocentes #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@AngelCouvertier [9]: National security is born of and maintained with the blood of innocent people #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@Ismael03 [10]: @Calle13Oficial [11] porque sin saberlo se convierten en mercenarios del poder. Proteger al millonario y Servir al malhechor #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@Ismael03 [10]: @Calle13Oficial [11] because without knowing it they become the mercenaries of those in power. Protect the millionaire and Serve the criminal #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@ramaotatengue [12]: Porque si de algo estamos seguros, es que no existe seguridad #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@ramaotatengue [12]: Because if there is something that we are sure of, it is that security doesn't exist #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@boricua_x100pre [13]: @Calle13Oficial [11] Vivimos en un sistema privado, privado de libertad, privado de privacidad, privado de semillas terrenos #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@boricua_x100pre [13]: @Calle13Oficial [11] We live in a private system, deprived of liberty, deprived of privacy, deprived of seeds and land #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@CroniQiando [14]: @Calle13Oficial [11] la seguridad no nos asegura bienestar. #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]‘
@CroniQiando [14]: @Calle13Oficial [11] security does not ensure our well-being. #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]‘
@KELVINTIU1 [15]: La seguridad es para pinguinos de traje corbata, en el barrio nos cuidamos todos hasta d la seguridad de los pinguinos #julianassangecalle13 [4]
@KELVINTIU1 [15]: Security is for penguins in a suit and tie, in the barrio we all take care of each other, even from the security of the penguins #julianassangecalle13 [4]
@peyeoropeza [16]: Cuando nos atacan le llaman libertad,cuando nos defendemos le llaman represion.#JulianAssangeCalle13 [4], @Calle13Oficial [11]
@peyeoropeza [16]: When they attack us, they call it liberty,when we defend ourselves they call it repression.#JulianAssangeCalle13 [4], @Calle13Oficial [11]
@Calle13Oficial [17]: ¿Por que no confían en la justicia? #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@Calle13Oficial [17]: Why don't you trust justice? #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@BosqueDavid [18]: @Calle13Oficial [11]#JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] La justicia se ha convertido en un exclusivo bien de mercado, solo la reciben quienes la pueden pagar
@BosqueDavid [18]: @Calle13Oficial [11]#JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] Justice has become an exclusive market good, only those who can pay for it receive it
@polilo_6 [19]: @Calle13Oficial [11] la justicia tiene diferencias sociales hay una justicia para los ricos y otra para los pobres #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@polilo_6 [19]: @Calle13Oficial [11] justice has social differences, there is one justice for the rich and another for the poor #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@NOMASIVA1 [20]: Soy nobel de la paz pero odio al whistleblower Si desnudas mis mentiras despídete de tu vida pues te encierro o te mato #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@NOMASIVA1 [20]: I am a Nobel Peace Prize winner but I hate the whistleblower If you undress my lies say goodbye to your life, I will jail you or kill you #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]
@lucych7 [21]: #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] La justicia hoy en día no es + q una utopía, se vende en 1 esquina d cualquier ciudad, la goza quien la puede pagar
@lucych7 [21]: #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4] Justice today is nothing more than a utopia, it is sold on 1 corner of any city, the one who can pay for it is the one who enjoys it
@riveraalvarenga [22]: La justicia es como la serpiente, sólo muerde el pie del descalzo. #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]@Calle13Oficial [11]
@riveraalvarenga [22]: Justice is like a snake, it only bites the foot of the person who is barefoot. #JulianAssangeCalle13 [4]@Calle13Oficial [11]
You can see a Storify of the event created on Twitter by Julian Assange, René Pérez and the thousands of Twitter users who participated here [23] [es].