[music]

Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. I am so happy now to have as our next guest, the former Brian Lehrer Show producer who has just launched a groundbreaking new podcast. It's Alana Casanova-Burgess, these days a reporter and producer with On the Media, maybe you already know her work on OTM. Now she's the host of La Brega: Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience. It's a 14 part series from WNYC studios and Futuro Media. That's Maria Hinojosa's Group.

Seven parts in English and seven parts in Spanish, that uses narrative storytelling and investigative journalism to talk about this concept of La Brega, which we'll get into and how it defines many aspects of Puerto Rican life. It's also a term really for which there isn't quite an English translation, but it's a great phrase for everyone to know. You'll recognize La Brega in your own life, almost no matter who you are. Hey Alana, welcome back to the show, and congratulations on the podcast.

Alana Casanova-Burgess: Hi, Brian. It's so nice to talk to you. I've been listening to you for this whole pandemic, so thank you to you and the team for keeping me company.

Brian: And to you and all the work you've already done, before the series, La Brega. For the uninitiated, you want to just define it or describe it.

Alana: Yes, it's this very Puerto Rican word. It exists in Spanish, but we use it more frequently and in different ways. It has to do as you mentioned, I think a lot of people can relate to this, but it's this struggle. It also depends on how you say it, but generally, it's this struggle where you can't really solve a problem, you just deal with it, and you can say, if someone asks you, how are you doing? You say, [Spanish language] Maybe depends on your tone, but when you say it like that, it's sort of like, "I'm not doing well, I'm not doing badly, I'm just sort of hustling and trying to keep it together." They're individual bregas so, if you're bregando with a boss, who's a little difficult, or maybe a bunch of different jobs, you have to cobble together, that's an individual brega. Maybe your mother-in-law, your bregando with your mother-in-law.

Or there are these collective bregas. Like after Hurricane Maria, people can't solve a problem, and this pandemic for sure, people are bregando with that. So yes it's this word that means, I'm dealing with it. I'm here, I'm hustling, I'm in the struggle, making it work.

Brian: To expand on that, and listeners if you don't know the word and you're, "What are they saying?" La Brega, L-A, B-R-E-G-A brega, and for the first episode of the podcast you asked people to define it in their own terms. Let's take a listen to about 45 seconds of that montage where we'll hear a few voices and your voice for the English language translation in some cases.

Speaker 1: La Brega has to deal with everyday life. I call it cotidianidad.

Speaker 2: Determinación, supervivencia, trabajo.

Alana: Determination, survival, work.

Speaker 3: Always to do something and circumstances that don't let you get ahead.

Speaker 4: Grinding.

Speaker 5: You know what it means, to do it. [laughs]

Speaker 6: I commonly use it when someone asks me, "What are you up to?" Or "How are you doing?" "I'm cruising along."

Speaker 7: Buscando, buscando continuamente algo.

Alana: Searching, continually searching for something.

Speaker 8: Showcasing our true Puerto Rican brilliance.

Brian: Listeners out of that, we're going to open up the phones as La Brega can mean a lot of different things in people's lives depending on the context. How about this, any of our Puerto Rican listeners from here or even listening on the island, or anyone else who uses the term want to call in and talk about what La Brega means to you call in an English, call in in Spanish, and you can give us an example of it in your life. Maybe that's a way to personalize and not just be the dictionary to help non-Spanish speakers understand it better. 646-435-7280, who wants to talk about the term La Brega? 646-435-7280.

Again, we invite you to call in in English, we invite you to call in in Spanish or a mix as you prefer. 646-435-7280. Of course, the podcast, the 14 part series, seven in English, seven in Spanish is not all about this word. That's just the framing. Tell us more. What's the podcast series?

Alana: The first intro just lays out what is La Brega, and also questions it a little bit, which I'm happy to talk about here as well. Why do we have this word that's such a big part of our everyday experience that is basically about struggling? It's a little odd. Every episode has an individual brega, and also a collective brega at the heart of it. It's actually an anthology series, it's a little bit unusual. I host the series, but I wanted this to be a real collaborative effort with other Puerto Rican journalists, and thinkers, and writers, and so every episode is about a different slice of Puerto Rican life. We think about it as opening a door to a different kind of experience of what it means to be Puerto Rican.

A lot of what's at the heart of that are power dynamics, colonialism, but also that kind of hustle, that kind of struggle. We wanted to do it in both languages so that it would be accessible to everybody, and people are going to hear stories about post-Maria reconstruction that they haven't heard before. A really great story I'm very happy about, about basketball and the Olympics in 2004. It was just a total delight to listen to, and yet it has to do with these struggles, but also questioning a bit what's at the heart of them?

Brian: Let's do the basketball story. It's so much fun. Matt, can you cue up clip three here as I give a little audio signal to our engineer Matt Morando. Episode five covers the Puerto Rican basketball team and how it went on to compete against the US so-called dream team that had lots of NBA all-stars in the 2004 Olympics. Here's a clip from that episode, which was reported by Futuro Media's Julio Ricardo Varela. You hear Julio first, and then Coach Flor Melendez, who was the head coach for the Puerto Rican team in 2004.

Julio Ricardo Varela: Whenever they face the United States in international play, those games had a special kind of weight. It was a chance for his soldiers to go to war.

[music]

Coach Flor Melendez: [Spanish language]

Julio: The war we haven't been able to have, to win our independence, he says.

Brian: You want to talk a little bit about that episode, and maybe how sports and sovereignty intersect in Puerto Rico?

Alana: Sure. I just love Flor's voice. I just love hearing it every time. Many people might not know this, but Puerto Rico gets to compete in the Olympics and also in Miss Universe, as its own country. Even though Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States, we compete against the United States sometimes. In this particular matchup in 2004, in the Athens Olympics, I don't want to give too much away, but it was a very emotional and important game, where it was sort of a David and Goliath tale. As you mentioned, it was the US dream team, and Puerto Rico did okay.

A lot of people who are from the island might remember that game, and yes it is as Flor says, almost like a war, at least in his view. I think a lot of other people might see it differently, and just have a point of pride that this tiny island-- I kind of want to give it away, Brian. Can I give it away?

Brian: It's your choice.

Alana: They beat the dream team. They beat them. They won.

[laughter]

Brian: We don't need a spoiler alert for a result of a 2004 match in the Olympics. Let's do some phone calls, and then we'll play some more clips from the series. I'm fascinated by this Levittown one, which is in episode two. We'll get you a little audio for that. Listeners, if you're just joining us, our guest is former-- How long has it been since you were with the show? Should I stop calling you a Brian Lehrer Show former producer? [laughs]

Alana: No, please no. That's still how I introduce myself at the parties I don't go to anymore. I have been on the media for six years, so it's [unintelligible 00:09:40].

Brian: On the media reporter and producer Alana Casanova-Burgess, who's now got this new 14 part podcast series in Spanish and in English. Seven in each, called La Brega, and on the term itself, we have some phone calls coming in, 646-435-7280, 646-435-7280. Denise in Hudson County, you're on WNYC. Hi, Denise.

Denise: Hi, guys. Hi, Brian. Great to be on the show. I just can relate totally. I'm actually of Dominican descent but when I heard La Brega I couldn't relate more. My mom grew up seeing La Lucha, which means basically the same thing, just a different word. The more recent example that I can certainly give is when everyone is virtual learning, it's not an option so what are you up to? I [Spanish language] with virtual learning. Just really great. Thank you for the segment. Like I said I couldn't relate more.

Brian: Thank you so much. Let's go on to Enrique in Queens. Enrique, you're on WNYC. Hi.

Enrique: Hi, Brian. Hi, Miss Casanova. To me, La Brega means the daily grind. The every, daily struggle to go out there and pay your rent and put food on your table and [spanish language]. If you don't do your daily grind, things are going to get hard. You're not going to be able to eat. You're not going to be able to pay your rent. The translation for me would be the daily grind. I don't know if Miss Casanova would agree with that, but that's what La Brega means for me.

Brian: Thank you, Enrique. Alana?

Alana: Yes, for sure. In the Spanish version of that first episode, I think I call it the onion of words because it has all these different layers. Yes, for sure.

Brian: Enrique, thank you. Some coming in on Twitter. Christopher writes, at least in my generation of hip hop slang, La Brega means maintaining. Another one. [unintelligible 00:11:43] on Twitter writes La Brega means to me dealing with it. I see that you quote on the show, Puerto Rican scholar Acadia Diaz, who says it's like grapple, like I'm grappling. All these words around La Brega. Let's take another one. Edgardo in Williamsburg, you're on WNYC. Hi, Edgardo.

Edgardo: Hi, [Spanish language]. I think that the term is a verb that is part of my regular DNA, as a graphic novelist writing my [Spanish language] series or leading our philanthropic work in Puerto Rico and has a dual purpose. [Spanish language] It's all about constantly finding a way to navigate this term into the daily work that we're doing either as artists, or as activists, and more importantly, as [Spanish language]. Alana, I definitely want to give you a shoutout because this is incredibly important that we have a podcast number one about Puerto Rico, number two, that is bilingual.

It is quite frustrating as a [Spanish language] living here in the diaspora, not having mainstream news reporting about Puerto Rico on a weekly or even daily basis. It's so refreshing that this podcast that you've produced will be available not only for us, but for the world because there are nine million Puerto Ricans living between here and Puerto Rico. Three million on the island and six million here across the United States, as well as those of us who aren't Puerto Ricans that are constantly interacting.

It's important that we know about Puerto Rico and we know about the Puerto Rican experience because until there's a status solution to the island's territorial position with the United States, Puerto Ricans continue to be US citizens. Anything that happens in Puerto Rico should be still part of that mainstream dialogue when we discuss what's happening in the United States and what's happening with US citizens so Brava Alana. [Spanish language]

Alana: [Spanish language] Nice to hear from you also. Hi, it's been a long time.

Edgardo: [Spanish language]

Alana: [Spanish language]

Brian: Thank you very much. Elizabeth in Yonkers, you're on WNYC with Alana Casanova-Burgess. Hi, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: Hi. I get up in the morning bregando. Things happen when you're sleeping that affect your life the next morning and you don't even know but you have to [Spanish language] that happens immediately in the morning. It's a beautiful term. It shows us how we can solve issues that come up daily. We're very capable and so La Brega is dear to me because my parents and my husband and my whole household, we're always in La Brega because that's how you survive.

You went to school, you were working at the same time, you have children and you continue bregando. Brian is great at it. He Brega with everything every day and everything that happens. By the power invested in me, I declare you Puerto Rican, Brian.

Brian: You have made my day.

Elizabeth: You're always bregando. You're my school. I will not miss you because that's how I learn all about everything because Brian [Spanish language] bregando. Alana, I bless you because that's a great idea. La Brega is part of my daily life and I wouldn't have it any other way so now that Brian is also Puerto Rican, he'll be with us bregando.

Alana: [Spanish language] Hi, Brian.

Brian: Bregando I'm blushing and I accept the honorary status at least for now. I hope I earn it going forward. Louis in Queens, you're on WNYC. Hi, Louis.

Louis: Hi, guys. Look, I just got to say this is the first time I actually listened to the station and I just heard this segment. Let me tell you something, right now you just touched my heart. [Spanish language] Like I told the lady on the phone, La Brega means a lot to me and it means very dear to me. Due to the fact because where I come from, where my family comes from, they came from nothing. Puerto Rico is very underestimated. A lot of people don't know [Spanish language] Puerto Rico. It has so much to offer and it's still underestimated to this day.

I had the privilege and the honor to be raised fully Puerto Rican because my parents are 100% Puerto Rican of the way they are. My mother was a farmer. She comes from a farming family and my dad comes from a squatter family and seeing them struggle, [Spanish language] doing a lot for their family and to make us move forward. I come from a big family. I come from a family of nine. Seeing my dad come to the states and work hard to make sure that his parents got money to be able to support themselves and to be able to support a family of 13.

Again I come from a family of nine and that gives me hope, that gives me a view of the future and now I move forward, I progress. I have my own kids and I always tell them, [Spanish language] La Brega, always move forward, never look back and that's the reason why La Brega is very emotional. Look, let me tell you, I'm actually shaking when I'm actually talking about it. [Spanish language] Thank you very much, guys. Thank you.

Alana: [Spanish language]

Louis: [Spanish language]

Alana: [Spanish language] Why do we have to be in La Brega all the time? Couldn't things be a little easier?

Louis: [Spanish language] It's like you got to do what you got to do in order to survive. You got to do what you got to do to move forward and showing this to our young generation and saying [Spanish language].

Alana: [Spanish language]

Louis: [Spanish language]

Brian: Louis, can I ask you one question? Did you say at the beginning of your call that this is the first day that you listened to the station?

Louis: Actually, it's the first time that actually-- I'm driving to work. I'm a Federal officer and I defend this country every day.

Brian: Yes, sir.

Louis: This is the first time I'm listening to the phone call and I turned on the station, my wife she's an agent for writers out there and she normally listens to it, but this is the one segment that just caught me and it literally touched the one part of me that is very dear to me.

Brian: Louis thank you so much. I hope you keep listening. I hope you call in again. Thank you very much.

Louis: Oh, definitely and thank you guys [Spanish language]

Alana: [Spanish language]

Brian: Thank you, Louis. Oh, boy. We could keep doing this all day. We have so many callers who want to talk about what the term la brega means to them, but we're going to run out of time in this segment and I want to do just-- Touch a couple of more points with you, Alana. Listeners, if you're just joining us, our guest is Alana Casanova-Burgess host of the brand new WNYC podcast called La Brega: Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience. It's a 14 part series. Seven in English, seven in Spanish. Can you talk about that a little bit? How you produce the seven and the seven, are they translations of each other, or what is it exactly that people should look for?

Alana: It was important to us that-- I think it's Edgardo, one of the callers mentioned that there are Puerto Rican's who do not speak Spanish. Also, I think these are just good stories for anybody to listen to in English. There's something to enjoy and connect to there for everyone, but we wanted to be sure not to leave anybody out. Our diaspora is so big.

In making each episode in both languages, we started-- Some of them, we produced first in English and then translated and some of them we produced in Spanish and then translated, but we really did do for many of them brand new interviews. Sometimes I did interviews in both languages at once with people first English then Spanish because it's not a direct translation.

It is in many cases, but some anecdotes just don't land in one language or the other. Some phrases just don't work. Even in my own writing, I found that there were things I wouldn't necessarily say in Spanish that I would in English. We've been referring to it as bespoke translations. Each episode is actually quite different while they still tell the same story. I hope people who are bilingual enjoy both of them because there are certain stories that or certain anecdotes or moments that we cut from one episode or put into another.

Brian: Let's just preview with one more clip, episode two it's on Levittown and just very briefly to set up this clip which actually begins with something from CBS news in 1978, set this up and we are not talking about the Levittown on long Island, right?

Alana: No, we're not. My grandparents moved from in the seventies from the Bronx back to the Island and they settled in Levittown [Spanish language] which I was always really fascinated by because they came from Ciales from the mountains in Puerto Rico and just them living in this like cement American style suburb, instead of in these lush mountains, never really made any sense to me. I've always wanted to do a piece about how the Levit brothers who've made Levittown the suburb that you're referring to on long Island also made one in Puerto Rico.

It turns out that this was a suburb that a lot of returning Puerto Rican's moved to. I think the clip that you've got starts with this piece of tape from CBS from 1978 because actually a lot of the children of the people who were returning didn't speak Spanish when they were coming home. The same kind of displacement that they were experiencing when they moved to New York, that their family members, their relatives were experiencing. They got the reverse of that when they went back to Puerto Rico.

Brian: 40 seconds from episode two, starting in 1978, CBS news.

Speaker 9: People were laughing at me because I didn't know Spanish. You would say something wrong, they'll be trying to correct you, but most of the time they would laugh.

Speaker 10: They make fun of you the way you talk Spanish. If you say a wrong word in Spanish something like that they start saying you can't speak-- That you speak Spanish [unintelligible 00:25:12] things like that and they start calling you gringo.

Alana: Schools in Puerto Rico even started offering Spanish courses to the returning migrants to help them fit back in.

Speaker 11: Unhappy with life in the states and slow to assimilate in a hostile Puerto Rico, the Neo Rican say they're in limbo not knowing where they belong.

Brian: If you want to know more, you're just going to have to listen to episode two because the whole thing-- This is one of those series that people can binge on, the whole thing drops at once?

Alana: You sure can.

Brian: It's La Brega: Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience new from WNYC studios and Futuro media. You have music in here. We're going to go out with a little music. I see. Did you choose this?

Alana: Oh, well this song that I think you're going to go out on is a song by [unintelligible 00:26:02] who did our theme song. We also had original music by [unintelligible 00:26:07], but this song that you're playing is a cover that [unintelligible 00:26:09] did a while ago of Bad Bunny song [unintelligible 00:26:12] and I love it.

Brian: Thanks for sharing all this with us on the show, Alana, we'll be listening.

Alana: Oh, thank you, Brian. So nice to talk to you.

 

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