Mexican women searchers form choir to ‘sing’ the pain of forced disappearance

For families searching for people who disappeared, the Inolvidable choir offers a way to turn grief into a shared voice. Dozens of people joined its singing in Guadalajara on Aug. 30, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

The choir brings together men and women from search collectives in Jalisco. Yolanda Pérez, who has searched for her son Daniel Videla since 2023, said singing helped her feel less alone among other mothers facing the same pain. The group formed just over a year ago.

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It is a way to let out our pain by singing. A year ago I joined the group and I feel a little more accompanied by all the mothers. We are many in one voice shouting for all the disappeared. We are suffering the same pain.

Members say the choir provides emotional support and occupational therapy through art. Teresa Sánchez joined after recovering her son’s remains following three years of searching. She said many families suffer chronic illnesses, while singing helps them process the pain and move toward resilience.

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It serves as therapy and at the same time helps us reach resilience because we know that pain really destroys us. Most of us have chronic degenerative illnesses, and the choir helps us heal and release our pain.

Artistic facilitator Miriam Rodriguez said communal singing allows participants to empathize with one another, even when their experiences differ. Members call themselves “sisters in pain” because they share similar stories of loss and searching.

The choir performs popular and religious songs, as well as original compositions about grief, the difficulties of searching and the hope of finding missing relatives. Its performances have taken place mainly at human rights, enforced disappearance and justice forums. The group also sees singing as a way to make the families’ stories heard while demanding answers and justice from state and federal authorities.

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Community singing is a way to feel empathy for another person even if you are not going through the same thing. They call themselves sisters in pain because they go through the same stories.