4. Independence Narratives, Past and Present

Through the readings of Bolivár, Martí and Chávez, I think I was able to gain a better idea of the mentality that existed in Latin America before and during the battles for Independence. 

I think all of them were quite similar in their ideas and desires. Both Bolivár and Martí highlighted a desire for an independent, united Latin America. Both questioned the Spanish rule by asking how could someone who didn't know the nation and its people govern them? While I think Martí was criticizing the colonial rule with a desperate tone that illustrated the resentment that had been arising throughout Latin America, I think Bolivár had a rather optimistic attitude. He had clear visions for the future of Latin America, and he was certain that the Spanish rule was going to come to an end. However, I was left quite surprised at the end where he says: 

"The Indians living there can be civilized, and our territorial possessions could be increased with the acquisition of the Goajira Peninsula. This nation should be called Colombia as a just and grateful tribute to the discoverer of our hemisphere. Its government might follow the English pattern, except that in place of a king there will be an executive who will be elected, at most, for life, but his office will never be hereditary, if a republic is desired."

For the entire letter I had thought that he didn't support the colonizers and their legacy. However, from this excerpt I got the idea that he admired the achievements of the Europeans and the colonizers and instead of preserving the Indian cultures he wanted to "civilize them." Furthermore, he spoke a lot about how someone from the Europe cannot come and implement a structure of government, since no one really knows what kind of societies are going to be formed. Controversially, here he suggests an English pattern of government. This left me very confused. 

More parallels could be observed between Bolivár and the speech of Chávez. He gave his speech in 2004 but similar concerns yet exist. He says "The history of our countries tells us that without doubt, passivity and grieving are useless". Both Bolivár and Martí described Latin America as passive, hurt and vulnerable. Chávez mostly criticizes the neo-liberalism that has failed Latin America. Even if the nations of Latin America have been able to gain independence from their colonizers, they are still being dependent on the North and their economic systems.  Finally, I think his final claim was the most powerful one: "In the South we are victims of the media monopoly of the North." In my opinion, this reflects the crisis of representation and struggle of the Latin American identity.



Question: Do you think Latin America will be able to gain the independence it strives for?

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