Hi team. I had hella food poisoning when this blog post was due. But Jon told me “better late than never” so here is my post about Mariategui’s Seven Interpretive Essay’s.
To be honest, I’m grateful to have been able to sit with Mariategui’s text a little longer before writing this blog post. One of the ways in which this has been a blessing has been being able to connect Mariategui’s text with our viewing of The Motorcycle Diaries. Having heard some of Mariategui’s ideas being quoted within the film honestly gave me a little more perspective into what Mariategui was trying to say about how the Indigenous revolution will be economic. One of my favourite of these occurred when the main protgranists Ernesto (Che) and Alberto.
“Mariátegui basically talks about the revolutionary potential of the Indians and peasants of Latin America. He says that the problem of the Indian is the problem of the land. And that the revolution will not be copy or imitation but the heroic creation of our people. We are too few to be divided, he says. Everything unites us. Nothing divides us.”
Mariategui believes that the social injustices Indigenous peoples face in the Andes stems from land distribution and exploitation of labour. The systematic oppression deeply seated in feudal systems of argricultue. I really enjoyed having read Mariategui’s text before watching Motorcycles Diaries. I feel that it is one thing to read about injustices like this through text. To have a academic understanding. But growing to know people on a personal level makes these types of injustices so much more heart wrenching. In Motorcycle Diaries, we grow personal connections with the people that Che and Alberto meet on their journeys. Their stories all following a similar pattern of injustice. These stories of the exploitation are not lost on Che and Ernesto.
When Che quotes Marategui, he is realizing how foreign policy has uprooted and displaced Indigenous peoples in the Andes. Their modes and qualities of lives would be much better if given control over their own lands and policies.
“Everything unites us. Nothing divides us”. I really loved this quote. In this sense, Che’s acknowledges the connection we all share with one another, and ultimately moves him to be a part of the revolution to fight against this systematic oppression.
5 replies on “Blog Post #6: A Late Conversation about Mariategui”
Hi Grace,
Thank you for this lovely post! I’m so glad you’re back from the trenches (food poisoning). I clicked on your post because Mariategui and The Motorcycle Diaries are two of the pieces that I’ve enjoyed the most throughout this course. I think of, “Everything unites us. Nothing divides us.” in relation to, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” I think it was Fannie Lou Hamer that said that? Networks and webs rather than hierarchies and pyramids (throwback to Susana’s words in our video project). I love how you pointed out the equal importance of academic understanding and personal understanding. I think though academic learning can inform action, it is ultimately personal stake that sparks action.
Take care,
Cissy
Mariátegui’s assertion that the core issue for Indigenous peoples is land distribution really struck me too. In The Motorcycle Diaries, seeing Che and Alberto encounter people suffering from these exact problems brings Mariátegui’s theories to life. It’s one thing to read about it, but another to see the human stories. Mariátegui’s emphasis on a revolution rooted in local context rather than imitating foreign models is particularly interesting to me.
good blog. good quote. enjoyed it. 10/10.
Very good. Thank you Grace!! ????
Emoji commented as question marks