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| The 'ayayero' (right) getting ready to speed
up the tempo, in Peru |
In Latin American Popular music there is always a point in a song
when the mood calms down and the tempo slows down to a waltz. After
a few moments, when the audience is beginning to get used to the new
rhythm, someone, in the crowd or in the band, steps up and shouts:
"Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay!" And the music livens up again and people
get up on their seats and the dance kicks-off. This is the 'ayayero',
in Peru, or 'gritero' (literally, shouter) in Colombia. The ayayero
is not just some enthusiastic musician or a publican. S/he has been
charged with that responsibility and has had to prepare well of it.
Being an ayayero requires not only an excellent understanding of the
music it self, but also of the audience and its mood that particular
night. They must be able to identify 'amateur ayayeros' in the audience
(who will pick up his lead right away); choose the right moment to
change the tempo of the music (either prolonging the waltz or cutting
it short).
The 'ayayero', however, is not responsible for the chords played
after his "Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay!" The songs are usually chosen
by the band leader (who is not always the singer) by means of frequent
informal conversations with the audience. It is his/her role to
encourage them to put forward requests, identify the options and
choose them and their order. Band leaders facilitate (or 'facipulate',
depending on their own ability to improvise) the process.
The same is true in networks, particularly those that require active
participation of their members. Networks, for a proper functioning,
need a facilitator but also an 'ayayero'. The 'ayayero's' role is
to identify the ebbs in the discussions, the key subjects that members
respond to and gather allies to follow up his motivating calls with
concrete ideas and proposals. He can, if that is to be his/her role,
also act as a facilitator. But the 'ayayero's' main responsibility
is to motivate, to wake the members up, to shock them (sometimes)
into action (of any sort), to remind them of old promises and ideas
that have been quite for a while.
Often, networks rely on their managers to fulfil this role. Network
coordinators assume the responsibility to motivate the members and
try to liven-up their debates. Unfortunately, both roles require
a full-time attention and dedication. The 'ayayero' cannot take
his/her eyes off the group; while the coordinator needs to deal
with administrative and logistical issues that often happen in the
background and away from the members.
Just like in Peruvian popular music, the 'ayayero' could be someone
in the secretariat of the network (i.e. in the band) or a member
(i.e. in the audience). When setting up a list serve, for example,
list managers need to keep a balance between the time they dedicate
to safeguarding the technology and motivating and guiding the discussion.
This is why most e-mail forums also have a team of moderators -usually
located in different parts of the world to guarantee that there
will be someone awake enough at any given time. Therefore, a key
recommendation to networks is to identify those roles within their
members or mangers; define the exact extent of their responsibilities
and provide them with the necessary resources. A good 'ayayero'
can be the difference between an active and ever-growing network
and a dying one; or between a hit and a flop.
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