2024-04-20 00:32:23
At the inauguration of FilBo, the president reflected on the literary work of José Eustasio Rivera, which celebrates its centenary in 2024.
At the opening of the 36th Bogotá International Book Fair (FilBo), President Gustavo Petro Urrego took the floor to reflect on a Colombian literary classic that celebrates its centenary in 2024: ‘La Vorágine’ by José Eustasio Rivera from Huila.
Citing the famous phrase of the protagonist Arturo Cova, the president recalled: “Before falling in love with any woman, I gambled my heart at random and was won by violence.«. This declaration served as a starting point for a reflection on the history and contemporary reality of Colombia.
Petro interpreted this phrase as a symbol of the violence rooted in the country’s history, highlighting how Rivera’s work portrays the slavery of indigenous people and the destruction of nature driven by human greed, particularly the exploitation of rubber in the jungle. .
The president regretted that the message of ‘La Vorágine’ has not been fully understood or applied in the past nor in the present. He pointed out how the destruction of nature, illustrated in the novel, is having devastating consequences today, especially in Bogotá, where water scarcity is linked to the loss of the jungle.
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“Undoubtedly, this book recounts a hatred and hatred of nature, a hatred of the jungle, which this author described at that time, the greed of planting rubber to become richer and richer, destroying the living nature of the jungle. », said Petro.
However, Petro proposed giving a twist to the interpretation of Arturo Cova’s phrase, suggesting that instead of being dominated by violence, the heart could be conquered by love. This reinterpretation, he proposed, could mark a path towards a more just and supportive Colombian society, far from hatred and violence.
“The phrase says it backwards: Before knowing violence, I played my heart at random and I won it with love. That’s the reverse. “That would mark a path, perhaps political, perhaps revolutionary, to build Colombian society.”
The president concluded by calling for a “politics of love,” highlighting that this vision implies a critique of greed and a commitment to emancipation from all forms of oppression. His words resonated as a call to action, reminding us that literature can be a powerful tool to reflect on the past, understand the present, and shape the future of a nation.
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