Phrases for thought, ideas for harmony: excerpts from the speech of Mario Vargas Llosa in Stockholm (December 7, 2010)
No speech is infallible and is not exempt from criticism. Poor intellectual thought that does not deserve controversy. But beyond the debatable issues that undoubtedly contains the speech given by Mario Vargas Llosa on the day before receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature 2010, there are phrases, ideas and considerations that should, in my opinion, highlight. Not in vain for us to think about key issues of our history and our time.
"... what an extraordinary privilege for a country that has no single identity because it has them all."
"English and Latin American writers ... were mixed and fraternized, recognizing owners of the same tradition and allies in a common enterprise and a certain "
" The homeland is not the flags and anthems, or apodictic discourse on the iconic heroes, but a handful of places and people that populate our stained memories and melancholy, the warm feeling that, no matter where we are, there is a home to which we return. "
" Without the fiction would be less aware of the importance of freedom for life livable and hell where it becomes when it is trampled by a tyrant, an ideology or a religion. "
"No city took both Barcelona and better than the beginning of opening (in the last years of Franco) not experienced a similar excitement in all fields of ideas and creation. Became cultural capital of Spain, where he had to be breathing the advance of freedom is coming. And in a way, was also the cultural capital of Latin America by the number of painters, writers, editors and artists from Latin American countries that settled there, or came and went to Barcelona, \u200b\u200bbecause it was where you had to be if one I wanted to be a poet, novelist, painter or composer of our time. "
"For let us not serve us to invent machines to be their servants and slaves. And because a world without literature would be a world without ideals or desires or contempt, a world of robots deprived of what makes the human being truly human: the ability to leave and move himself into another, in others, modeled with the clay of our dreams. "
" Because we will always Fortunately, an unfinished story "
the end, the Palestinian cause receives due and deserved international support: towards the recognition of a free and independent Palestinian State
Little
very little, this news is attracting attention in the European press. A kind of cloak of silence or scorn is upon a fact that, beyond its political significance, holds considerable symbolic significance with regard to solidarity with one of the most serious geopolitical issues of our time stabbing. It was not the European Union has taken the initiative ought to have reciprocated in this process, but Latin America, and in particular those countries that have understood, without the typical ambiguities to which we are accustomed to in the language of diplomacy vacuo irrelevant, that something must be done well to rescue from oblivion a reality that can not be forgotten.
had to happen sooner or later. Was imperative, a necessary to ensure that the tragedy of the Palestinian people were permanently lost in oblivion or indifference. The passage of time, with a huge load of frustration, pain, injustice and helplessness, not only worsened the magnitude of an international problem that remains unresolved after ten resolutions United Nations have tried to ensure consistent output with international law.
not go into details about a problem which I have been echoed many times in this blog, and I will continue dealing with the same interest as I feel about what is happening in Western Sahara. I will simply recognize, with admiration and applause, the initiative taken by the countries of MERCOSUR have agreed to recognize a Palestinian state, free and independent according to the 1967 boundary lines. The first step was taken by Uruguay on 13 November, when President Mujica Embassy announced the opening of the highest level.
Later, while leaving the presidency of Brazil with one of the highest levels of popularity that are known, Lula da Silva joined the initiative on December 3 stating that "the initiative is consistent with Brazil's historical willingness to contribute to the peace process between Israel and Palestine, whose direct negotiations are currently stalled and is in line with UN resolutions , calling for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and building an independent state on the borders of 4 June 1967. Brazil, says the official statement, admitted from 1975 to Organization for Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, that has a personality of public international law. In 1993, Latin American country authorized the opening of the Special Delegation of Palestine diplomatic status similar to the representations of international organizations and in 1998 likened the treatment to an embassy. But never, as now, had spoken of a free state and independent.
Three days later, the Republic Argentina has joined the same process. Not surprisingly, and according to the official statement "Argentina has traditionally supported the Palestinian people's right to independent statehood and the right of Israel to live in peace with its neighbors, within secure and internationally recognized borders" not free to express its support "for dialogue and peace initiatives of the international community for a peaceful solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
initiatives Is it isolated? Will continuity the world? What European Union will , which gives much support to Palestine to attend then, undaunted, to its destruction by Israel? What Mr. Obama now opine that seems, given to the edification of the Jewish state fever in the illegally occupied territories? What will he think of the subject by the English Minister of Foreign Affairs, as evanescent and always inaccurate in his statements? Numerous questions arise before an inevitable process that was shown, as they have not been few voices in the world have called for the recognition of a Palestinian state He notes as a form of blockages, failures and delays to the solution of this problem has been exposed . Surely not be an easy process and as fast as many would like. But there have been important steps in that direction, hand key precedents of countries are not irrelevant in the world.
Is this the vision with the Catalans in the world?
From the standpoint of educational and cultural mental maps have always been as helpful as an illustrative exercise. reveal the vision of who makes it his surroundings, the world we live. No technical rigor in them or any map, but it is clear that valuable conclusions can be drawn on how to understand and assess both what is near and so, far, deserves also to be taken into consideration simply because it exists and because It records are more or less solid. Difficult escape the global dimension of what is happening where they happen. There are few geographers who have dedicated pages without story to the empirical manifestations of the "Geography of Perception" , associated with the conception of space as an expression of a subjectivity that derives from the culture you have and which in turn explains behavior (behavioral geography) that are otherwise difficult to interpret.
Serve this forethought to record the surprise I produced the "mental map" that edition of El Pais Semanal 28 November, publishes designer Javier Mariscal on conception, in its view, the Catalans are in the world, the world world in which they live. It does a "charnego" or viewing a swollen Catalan Catalunya criticism but a Catalan, but from Valencia, out-and-out, recognized as one of its most distinguished talents, designer pet that occurred to know the Barcelona Olympic Games 92 (do you remember Cobi ?), and what do I know more things.
I stopped at the map carefully, because everything that has to do with the territory I am interested. And my astonishment was great, because, beyond the caricature and humorous that these drawings are to be made with a certain air of provocation, it is clear that invite reflection. Take a look at the picture, and you'll know what I mean. According to Marshal, the part of the world gravitates Catalans perceive as not so much about on Catalunya Barcelona, \u200b\u200bthe epicenter of the centrality magnified and space dominance. Their references are topical, which symbolize the image more conventional Condal City , relegating to second place to other place names that identify the Catalan region in the splendid interface that it is between the Mediterranean and the many expressions of the mountain.
But what is lost in the remoteness is what extends beyond the river Ebro, powerful continuum short of insurmountable. Outright separation barrier, which opens from that huge bed is quite small: most hideous strength Madrid, emerges in the middle of nowhere, flanked by land interior where the cactus grows only solitary, shy contrast to peripheral regions, the signs associated with more topical in which identity is based not well understood. Identity in the case of the Basque Country and Galicia for its greenery spreads only, without in either excel another reason that it gives a symbolic name in the projection of nationalism lining is our sustained bull skin .
Very little remains beyond the Ocean Sea, I'd say the admiral, whose statue stands, proud, where they start or end of the Ramblas in Barcelona. America is faded in a very distant horizon where only excel the "skyline" of New York and the individuality of the "beautiful island", the discoverer qualifier used when he suddenly ran into Cuba. Nothing more. We miss what is missing, ie, continents (Asia, Africa, the deep southern) that, despite their distance, have much, for whatever reason, in this globalized world of images that can not escape by more than one pawn.
We should understand, finally, as a simplification, as a "boutade" as a game ("fun?) deceptive cartography, which may only lodge in the mind of an artist sampler imaginative capacity, and, of course, also very critical closer to their fellow citizens . But he certainly would attract attention, coming from a creator who knows everything. Could this be the view that the Catalans, or a significant portion of them have the world? Is it the one with the Marshal himself, without sufficiently calibrated with others?
In fact, it matters little, since, for better or for worse, the world is there, spinning around its axis, but not like it or not we like, we can never detach its universal values, multiple and contrasting and invite solidarity and indifference.
