Name: Mexicans Quarantined In Ixtaltepec Appreciate Volunteers' Jokes, Songs
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Mexicans Quarantined In Ixtaltepec Appreciate Volunteers' Jokes, Songs

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Mexicans Quarantined In Ixtaltepec Appreciate Volunteers' Jokes, Songs In the southern state of Oaxaca, volunteers in one town take turns driving a large speaker around. They play health tips, songs and even jokes to the town's elderly and others under COVID-19 lockdown.Heard onToggle more optionsIn the southern state of Oaxaca, volunteers in one town take turns driving a large speaker around. They play health tips, songs and even jokes to the town's elderly and others under COVID-19 lockdown.DAVID GREENE, HOST:I think it's safe to say we've all been looking for those sweeter moments in these difficult times, right? Well, NPR's Carrie Kahn, thank you for bringing this to us. It's a story from Mexico. The virus is surging there, but volunteers are managing to bring some joy to those stuck inside.CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: In the late afternoons as the sun is setting, Perseida Tenorio straps a huge black speaker to the back of a small motorcycle taxi.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)PERSEIDA TENORIO: (Non-English language spoken).KAHN: She's one of eight volunteers who take turns driving what they call the Solidarity Speaker around her town of Ixtaltepec in the southern state of Oaxaca.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)TENORIO: (Non-English language spoken).KAHN: In Spanish and the indigenous Zapotec language, they play health tips, songs and even jokes to the town's elderly. That's who mostly live there these days.TENORIO: (Speaking Spanish).KAHN: All the youth migrate north, and we just have a lot of old people here, she says, vulnerable to the coronavirus and to depression after months on lockdown.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)TENORIO: (Non-English language spoken).KAHN: Tenorio sent me this video of her slowly driving through the empty streets blaring the Zapotec joke. It's about a young couple getting romantic under a huge tree.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)TENORIO: (Non-English language spoken).KAHN: Repeated in Spanish, too, the joke ends with the couple's rendezvous comically interrupted by a bird's dropping.ALEJANDRA ROSADO: (Laughter, speaking Spanish).KAHN: Volunteer Alejandra Rosado says you have to drive really slow to make sure someone listening gets to hear the punchline. This resident, 91-year-old Adele, loves the gesture.ADELE: (Non-English language spoken).KAHN: She says her afternoons now are filled with so much joy.(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)KAHN: The recorded repertoire grows with contributions sent from artists around Mexico and beyond.(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)MARISOUL HERNANDEZ: (Singing in Spanish).KAHN: Marisoul Hernandez of the LA-based La Santa Cecilia jumped at the chance to send a song.HERNANDEZ: You know, even though I'm over here and they're over there, that through music and technology we can send each other a musical hug.KAHN: The volunteers in Ixtaltepec hope to give those hugs in person soon.Carrie Kahn, NPR News.(SOUNDBITE OF RODRIGO Y GABRIELA'S "LA SALLE DES PAS PERDUS")Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website and pages at for further information.NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Sponsor Message

Mexicans Quarantined In Ixtaltepec Appreciate Volunteers' Jokes, Songs In the southern state of Oaxaca, volunteers in one town take turns driving a large speaker around. They play health tips, songs and even jokes to the town's elderly and others under COVID-19 lockdown.Heard onToggle more optionsIn the southern state of Oaxaca, volunteers in one town take turns driving a large speaker around. They play health tips, songs and even jokes to the town's elderly and others under COVID-19 lockdown.DAVID GREENE, HOST:I think it's safe to say we've all been looking for those sweeter moments in...

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Mexicans Quarantined In Ixtaltepec Appreciate Volunteers' Jokes, Songs

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