By Carolina Vásquez Araya on September 20, 2021
We do not fight to have more, but because we have nothing. photo: Bill Hackwell
The dates represent only a symbolic reference in the course of history, that is why the Bi Centennial Independence festivities, celebrated in these days of September in some countries of the continent, should become a turning point; a turning point in the right direction and the beginning of a new era for the people who observe, with a mixture of envy and hope, the progress in other corners of the planet.
Latin America has suffered genocidal dictatorships, foreign invasions marked by economic and geopolitical interests, devaluation and annihilation of its millenary cultures, plundering of its natural wealth and constant intervention in its development plans by financial organizations controlled by the great world powers. However, the moral strength and the yearning for freedom of their peoples constitute the decisive resources to consolidate that real and concrete independence they all yearn for.
The examples of economic, industrial and cultural development in some of our nations demonstrate how a potential value can become a tangible reality, provided that the political actions of their leaders are based on the firm purpose of fighting for their homeland. In this sense, the defense of and respect for constitutional norms, the consolidation of the rule of law, the recognition of the intrinsic human and cultural values of their communities and the firm purpose of achieving Latin American unity, the only possible way to face the challenges of globalization, are essential.
To boast of independence when our political castes are capable of negotiating the future of generations with entities whose interests are totally opposed to development -such as the World Bank- and subjected to the arbitrary conditions of powerful governments, focused on making the most of their institutional and political weaknesses, is an insult to intelligence. It is therefore imperative to update concepts and understand that the freedom of a country to decide on its present and future is a pending issue throughout the Third World.
The celebration of national independence has become established as a populist resource and should be subject to a profound revision. Military parades, so typical of that image of strength and power imprinted in the collective imagination, are today one of the most serious offenses against peoples who have experienced the cruel repression of military dictatorships, a dark shadow that stains the history of all our countries. Patriotic pride should not rest on weapons or violence, but on culture, traditions and unrestricted respect for human rights.
The harmful burden of exploitation and plundering of poorly distributed wealth is a historical burden whose influence on backwardness, misery and abandonment is an indisputable argument for rejecting the pretensions of independence and freedom of the ruling castes, who are responsible for the shameful conditions in which the future of the peoples is plunged.
Without sustainable development for all there is no valid reason to boast of independence.
Source: El Quinto Patio, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English