Notes from Latin America

Latin America has fascinated me for years now. The literature and the giants of words along with the giants of leaders that the region has produced have been worth obsessing after.

I read 'Dream Tigers' a few years ago when I really should have been studying for some exam. I told my roommate what an amazing piece of writing it was and he blew me off by saying that anything remotely associated with taking the mind off text books and studying in crunch time i.e. exams, is always a blast. A few days later I checked out the universal history of infamy and ficciones from the library. Obsession knows no limit and the ancient-wise-turtle that Borges was, just glued itself to my mind. He planted himself there and his philosophic depth began to reflect itself in my life, as I would relate the philosophy of his life and times to mine. Life would make sense.

He has got a lot in common with Intezaar Hussein. A teacher of mine once said that if Intezaar Hussein were a Spaniard or an Englishman he would have been acclaimed as a phenomenon.

What I began to ramble about in this piece was about contemporary politics but Borges is deeply intertwined with South American society. I want to share comments about a wall that exists today in Latin America, which has displayed its strength by standing up to the capitalist might of the US.

Along with Castro, Chavez is the living giant of South American politics today. Chavez rides the wave of popular power and performs the miracle of making life better for the millions of impoverished in his country. His country happens to be one of the largest producers of oil in the world but also happens to be amongst the comity of poor nations. He nationalized the oil industry to redistribute the resources amongst the populace and that incurred the wrath of the US. He was ousted from power in a coup, kidnapped by the US military and all legal structures in the country nullified in the name of protecting the country from the tyrant that he was. What the US did not expect was that everyone in the country who could step out of his or her house on the day of his disppearence, did so. The numbers ran into the millions and the armada of the people marched the streets of Caracas and other cities screaming themselves hoarse for Chavez. Mothers wept as they would for their own children. The people marched and marched for days and nights till the US and the illegal regime had no choice but to bow in the face of popular pressure and one fine day, an American jet flew Chavez back into Venezuela. El Presidente had returned.

Chavez policies continue to make life better for the poor as I write. To the dismay, anger and disgust of the US government and the European elites of Venezuela who are getting less and less from the system. Chavez survives for no other reason than his popularity amongst the masses. He is the beloved leader who was elected in a free election that no on can doubt and is assured every now and then in a referendum when his opponents force that upon him.

Another country to the south, Bolivia has witnessed similar radical tendencies in the past couple of years. Bolivia is Latin America’s poorest nation with the largest proportion of indigenous population than any other Latin American country and it screams for leadership. It screams for a Chavez, a Castro or a Lula. The country sits upon huge gas reserves and asks or their nationalization so the impoverished, masses can get their due share rather than fattening more American corporations. 2 years ago in late 2003 the country was brought to the brink of revolution. Today as I write, 40,000 people march the streets of La Paz asking for a nationalization of the country’s natural resource wealth. Many have died and many more will die but it remains to be seen whether the people will succeed in sweeping away the exploitative system, which serves the elite and the interests of the American corporations.

The Amerindian population of South America is marching and I glorify it in the tradition that was the glory of the Inca, the Maya and the Aztec many centuries ago.