How Rafael Escalona Defeated The Devil With The Reversed Creed In The Soap Opera Alejo
How Rafael Escalona Defeated the Devil with the Reversed Creed in the Soap Opera Alejo
The soap opera Alejo, La Busqueda del Amor (Alejo, The Search for Love) is a Colombian production that tells the story of Alejo Duran, a famous vallenato singer who falls in love with different women throughout his life. The soap opera is based on the real life of Alejo Duran and features some of his songs as well as other vallenato classics.
How Rafael Escalona Defeated the Devil with the Reversed Creed in the Soap Opera Alejo
One of the most memorable scenes of the soap opera is when Rafael Escalona, another renowned vallenato composer and friend of Alejo Duran, faces the devil in a musical duel. The devil, disguised as a man named Anastasio, challenges Escalona to a contest where they have to sing verses that rhyme with each other. The winner will get the soul of the loser.
Escalona accepts the challenge and starts singing verses that praise God and his creation. Anastasio responds with verses that mock Escalona and his faith. The duel becomes more intense and Escalona realizes that he is dealing with the devil himself. He decides to use a secret weapon: he sings the creed backwards.
The creed is a statement of Christian beliefs that begins with "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth". Escalona sings it in reverse order, starting with "earth and heaven of Creator Almighty Father God in believe I". By doing this, he confuses and angers the devil, who cannot find a rhyme to counter him. The devil admits defeat and flees, leaving Escalona victorious.
The scene is based on a legend that says that Rafael Escalona once sang the creed backwards to scare away a ghost that was haunting him. The legend also says that Escalona learned this trick from Francisco el Hombre, another mythical vallenato singer who allegedly defeated the devil in a similar duel.
The scene is considered one of the most iconic moments of Colombian television and has been praised for its creativity, humor and musicality. It also showcases the talent and charisma of Carlos Vives, who plays Rafael Escalona in the soap opera. Vives is a famous singer and actor who has popularized vallenato music around the world.
The soap opera Alejo, La Busqueda del Amor was broadcasted in 1994 by Caracol Television. It had 60 episodes and was directed by Pepe Sanchez. It was based on the book Alejo y Yo (Alejo and I) by Consuelo Araujo Noguera, who was the wife of Alejo Duran and a cultural promoter of vallenato music.
The soap opera was a success in Colombia and other countries, especially in Venezuela, where it had a large audience. It also won several awards, such as the India Catalina Award for Best Soap Opera and the Simon Bolivar Award for Best Actor for Carlos Vives.
The soap opera also contributed to the diffusion and appreciation of vallenato music, a genre that originated in the Caribbean region of Colombia and combines elements of indigenous, African and European cultures. Vallenato music is characterized by the use of three instruments: the accordion, the guacharaca and the caja. It also has four basic rhythms: paseo, merengue, puya and son.
Vallenato music is considered a cultural expression of the Colombian identity and has been declared by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Some of the most famous vallenato singers and composers are Alejo Duran, Rafael Escalona, Diomedes Diaz, Jorge OÃate and Silvestre Dangond. 04f6b60f66