For many people, HENRY BRAN has provided a human face for the tragic nation off El Salvador. He has developed a ministry in music in Britain reaching out to Spanish speakers and English speakers alike. John Irvine spoke to him recently in his East London home.

Henry Bran

The voice of the children will not be silenced/ Not even with mines and bombs/ And even though their two hands have been stolen/ The ones which they used to beg with/ They still have in their heart a shout of peace of joy" (from 'Ninos Rotos').

Henry Bran comes from a middle class Salvadorian family and grew up in a happy home, regularly worshipping at the local Roman Catholic Church. In fact Henry spent so much time in church that he helped the priest during the services and unofficially became verger of the church. He had no plans to become a priest however, he dreamed of being an artist and a musician and planned to go to art college. However events put a stop to Henry's plans. "In 1979 and 1980 the situation in El Salvador got much worse and young people, especially those at university, were being targeted because being at university meant that you were accused of being a revolutionary." Explained Henry, "The art college was closed because it was suspected of being politically involved with the situation. In a way, every kind of art expressed the suffering of the people, and that is why it was put down. Many people who studied there are now refugees in other countries or are buried... disappeared."

Suddenly, the Bran family became personally involved in their country's suffering when Henry's brother-in-law was arrested and tortured by the authorities. Through Amnesty International, Henry's sister and her husband were able to leave El Salvador and come to Britain. This made things very difficult for the Bran family in El Salvador so they left for San Francisco, but Henry chose to come to London to be with his sister. He was unprepared for experiencing life as a stranger in a strange land.

"My life was cut off when I left El Salvador. I was in England with no friends, I wasn't able to speak the language, I couldn't go out. I found it very restricting, like living in a prison, and the guitar was the only way out, the way to express myself. That's how I began to write my own songs."

Henry's professional life as a musician began almost the moment he set foot in Britain. His sister took him to all the political meetings connected with Latin America and told one organiser that Henry could sing a little. Seconds later a nervous 17-year-old Henry Bran was making his debut under the spotlight! "I made a lot of mistakes, but I was only 17 so it was acceptable. That opened a lot of things in me; I realised that there was a need to tell people about El Salvador".

Although Henry still hoped to study music in Britain, his homeland's sufferings so dominated his thinking that he went from one event to another, raising awareness, singing, raising funds. Eventually the radical singer/songwriter realised he was doing everything for his country, but he himself had nowhere to live or any money. When Henry's wife came across from El Salvador, he got a day job. Henry currently works for the Hackney Employment Link project helping people back into work. Playing and speaking at political meetings finally ended when he was misrepresented as supporting the Salvadorian Government because, as a Christian he insisted of speaking and singing of God's love and forgiveness for the oppressor.

However, new platforms began to open for Henry. His songs led to appearances at cultural events, church gatherings and even onto Songs of Praise and Breakfast television. Now, with the help of Frampton Park Baptist Church where he worships and the Amos Trust who also support Garth Hewitt, Henry has branched out into recorded music. "It has taken me 10 years to do these albums because every time I went to do something God said 'no, it isn't the right time'. To hear that while recognising all the possibilities of recording was very difficult."

Two tapes have been released through Christian Literature Crusade and mail order: 'I Am Here': 'A Collection Of Songs In English', and 'Ninos Rotos: Broken Children', a collection of Spanish songs which reflect several concerns. There are many Latin American people in Britain and a Spanish Church in London, while there are large numbers of families in Britain who have adopted children from El Salvador and other countries. Henry hopes to send the tape back home to El Salvador for release there. "The Spanish tape is songs dedicated to children. The main song is about children damaged by the war in El Salvador, who have lost an arm or a leg. Some of the songs are about different problems of children, one song talks about a child who cannot read or write but desperately wants to; there is a song about a mother who has left her child to go abroad to earn money and give her a better future. But 'Broken Children' is not just the children of my country, but children else where in the world as well."

In addition to his musical achievements, Henry has published a novel and a collection of poems in both English and Spanish. The book of poems, El Salvador And Its Cross reveals a deep concern for the people of El Salvador and the sufferings they share with Christ. The novel, The Calvary Of My People sets the life of Jesus in modern day El Salvador. The events depicted are half Henry's own experiences and half the experiences of people he knows. "I was trying to represent the church in El Salvador through the crucifixion and resurrection. Where two or three people gather Jesus is there. But that must be a political meeting or so the government says. In El Salvador if two or three people were together they were suspected of planning something."

"People ask me the meaning of my music. I have used the situation in my country to talk about God. When I was singing political songs I used to leave people with sadness, with hate against the government, against the tortures. I think now I do still talk about that, but I try not to leave people with such feelings, but to show them the greater love, the hope and peace through Jesus Christ."

"Freedom is not something that you can win/ With the gun in your hand killing everyone else/ Freedom is something that only God can give you." (from 'Un Dia Preginte A Mi Madre').