Last 301 - On The Angostura Address and others (Click for More)

Hello all,

once again, it is time for.... cha chan! The "weekly readings commentary".

Enjoy.

This week's Angostura Address reading of Cuidad Bolivar, Venezuela was of very special interest to me. Bolivar's words mark the beginning of what is going to be the "Great Colombia", namely the coming together of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama under one single government. Even though this unified State existed only for a small period of time and then split into the four independent States we know today, I believe (and now confirm trough the Angostura Address) that Bolivar was a true democratic leader. In the document he expresses his willingness to step down from office as Head of State and distribute the power among the members of Parliament, because he believes that "the continuation of power in the same individual has frequently led to the demise of democratic governments". (See P.32)

Moving on, the strongest statement Bolivar ever made, in my opinion, was the following: "We are not Europeans nor Indians, but a mixed species halfway between aboriginal and Spanish. Americans by birth and Europeans by law, we find ourselves contending with the natives for titles of ownership and at the same time trying to maintain our rights in our birth country against the opposition of the invaders" (P.33) Wow!! Very strong words that hold true for myself even today... Bolivar hit the nail right in the head! Remember last week I said we Latin Americans where bastards? Well this serves as an expansion to that same thought, we are neither native, nor Europeans and thus conflicting with ourselves every day, for we do not entirely hold a European legacy, nor a native American one... Our roots remain a strange mix of cultures...

Bringing his legacy into the Latin American context today, we see that it is still alive among politicians and the people in the region. The strongest example of this is Hugo Chavez. He has taken up a populist role in which he claims to be reenacting Bolivar's dream of regional unity with his so-called "Bolivarian Revolution"... But I ask whether Chavez's politics can even be compared to those of the Libertator? Chavez's views certainly follow the same line of thought of Bolivar, but I strongly disagree when the Venezuelan president portrays himself as the multiplier of this legacy. Almost as if he was Bolivar's reincarnation and had an epic task to complete... Certainly nonsense and a total lack of respect toward Simon Bolivar. Who does Chavez think he is? Bolivar was one man who lived and made history in the beginning of the 19th century; no one has the right to take that from him today, not even Chavez.

Personal disclaimer: I cannot read Simon Bolivar without any biased perspective. I believe in his words and see him as a National Hero for Colombians, Venezuelans, Panamanians, Ecuadorians, Peruvians and Bolivians alike. So you will only hear good things about him here, jeje. The only thing I cannot tolerate is people who believe that they have some sort of "historical duty" of completing someone else's legacy. (see Hugo Chavez)... There you go, the readings got me ranting once again.

See you all later,

RuizSKBO

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