Facing the "Open Veins of Latin America"

In contemporary, international social intercourse, the exchange of books by political leaders is not something one hears of very often. There are probably two reasons for this. One is that a book is the carrier of thought, and if given to the wrong person, could turn out to be a boring affair. The other is that in today’s restless and insecure world, there are probably not many leaders who would have the time and be in the mood to read.

However, there are exceptions. At the Summit of the Americas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave United States President Barack Obama one of his favorite books, which caused a wave of comments in the international media. The book was titled “Open Veins of Latin America”, with the sub-heading, “Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent”, and its author is one of the best-known left-wing writers in Latin America, Eduardo Galeano. As the title suggests, the anti-Western stand of this book leaps out of the pages. And, because Chavez is also in the anti-American vanguard, his intention of giving the book was obviously an attempt to influence Obama, regarding his policies toward Latin America.

When the matter was reported in the media, “socialist” Obama, as conservatives see him, probably felt a little awkward, because earlier some Republican senators had accused Mr. Obama of being too friendly with Chavez during the summit. In a press conference afterward, Mr. Obama explained, when questioned about it, “It was a nice gesture to give me a book. I am a reader.”

A unique style and poetic language

Such a news bite, filled with political overtones, made “Open Veins of Latin America” a global bestseller. I like to follow the crowd and actually found, for myself, the only copy of the book in English in the bookstore, published by the Monthly Review Press and printed in 1971, almost 40 years ago.

In writing the foreword for the book, Latin American novelist, Isabel Allende, called Galeano a “super genius”, saying that when one opens this book, one finds it impossible to close. I, too, have this feeling, not because I agree with the viewpoint of this book, but because I was attracted by its unique style. Its poetic language also makes other works on politics seem dull and boring.

Galeano was born in 1940, in Uruguay, and had worked as an editor in Latin America’s most influential weekly political commentary, Marcha, early in his career. “Open Veins of Latin America” was written at that time, taking him about three months to complete. In 1973, there was a military coup, and Marcha was closed down; Galeano fled to Argentina. In 1976, another military coup took place, and he fled to Spain. He also enriched the content of his book during this time and published it again. In 1985, when Uruguay’s dictatorship was finally overthrown, Galeano was able to return to his homeland.

The main content of “Open Veins of Latin America” describes how Latin America was repeatedly pillaged by imperialism over the last few centuries, from Columbus’ discovery of the mainland through the political interference and “economic invasion” by the U.S. in the 1970s. At the same time, the author also incisively chastises various right-wing dictatorships and Latin America’s political business profit blocs.

In her foreword, Allende says that she took two days to finish reading this book. The pain left by history caused a surge of emotions in her heart, which she found difficult to quell. We, as observers on the sidelines, certainly would be similarly affected, but what most deeply impressed me is its rational anger, calm narration and its admirable depth of thought. The author not only has made his readers listen to him patiently, but he has given readers a delightful reading experience. Some quotations from the book:

“Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and there are more foot-washers than shoe-shiners. The boys are willing to wash the feet of customers who have no shoes for them to shine, just for a coin.

“Our defeats are always brought out in others’ victories; our wealth is always in creating poverty for ourselves through nurturing others’ prosperity.

“The most positive review (for my book) did not come from the most authoritative of critics, but from military dictatorships.Their banning of my book is a compliment to it.

“This old lady bowed her body, fanning the flames with her hands. Her back was curved, and her neck, full of wrinkles, was stretched upright. She looked just like a really old, black turtle.

“Latin America’s industrial bourgeoisie’s experiences are like midgets: They did not need to grow to get old.

“In Latin America, destroying the guerrillas in the womb is more hygienic and effective than eliminating them in the jungles and on the streets.”

Be a superb “formulationist”

The English translation of this book is excellent. The translator was Cedric Belfrage, a British reporter. He immigrated to the U.S. when he was young, worked in Hollywood, and joined the American Communist Party. In the mid-1950s, during McCarthyism’s reign of terror, Belfrage was exiled, and he later became the translator of all of Galeano’s works.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was a man who rose from the ranks. He does not look at all scholarly, but is, in fact, a diligent reader. Once, when he interviewed by reporters in London, he quoted English literature competently and made many witty remarks; therefore, I imagine Chavez must have read both of Obama’s books and understood his political ideology quite well before Obama became president. There was an article in United Kingdom’s The Guardian that asserted that Chavez has given Obama a “perfect gift”.

Putting his political identity aside, as a young intellectual, Obama might be able to resonate with some parts of the book. A few years ago, when talking about Cuba, Obama once confessed that when he became aware, from reading, that Cuba has a good medical science education and medical system, he began to see the country in a new light. Therefore, shortly after he became president, he attempted to mend relations between the U.S. and Cuba. This was apparently not done on a whim.

From reading Obama’s own two books, I also believe he reads widely and is a highly intelligent writer. “Open Veins of Latin America” may not be capable of influencing his policies toward Latin America, but its unique, narrative style and poetic language would at least arouse the “scholarly” Obama’s reading interest.

In the world of international politics and economic affairs, unfair, unjust and unethical events happen every day. Our reactions, upon hearing, seeing and reading about them, are often the impulsive, superficial and noisy “self-airing” of our views, thinking that the louder we are and the more aggressive our attitudes, the more attention we will be given. Clamorous, abusive talk, leaving the speaker hoarse; extreme, intolerant actions; as well as peculiar and even bizarre discourse, filled with claptrap to please the public, may let the outside world know of an “unhappy” group. But such behaviors lack the capacity to quiet the world and to allow it to patiently listen, and surely cannot win its respect.

Galeano, however, is not like that. He was a superb “airer of views”. Unquestionably, in the colonial history of the West, Latin American countries have been the weak and have suffered many abuses, the long-term victims of the old world order. However, “Open Veins of Latin America” helps us discover that when the weak express their dissatisfaction and address the outside world, they will need to display even more wisdom, rationality, elegance and dignity, or there will be no one who will listen.

In fact, all the “weak” in contemporary international affairs, be they those who are rising to prominence or those who are continually being oppressed, should consider themselves when reading “Open Veins of Latin America”, and reflect on their ways of “airing” to see where they are lacking.