Walking through the park, I stopped to look at the statues that adorn this place and took some photos of them.
Perhaps that is the first thing we notice in a square: the statues standing tall, connecting the space with the central figure.
I reflected on the stories they must have seen unfold, the tales they could tell, even the times that pigeons have dulled their shine with the excrement they throw at them every day.
I once visited Cartagena, and the statue is of Simón Bolívar (the liberator of America) mounted on a horse; it is said to be the only one of its kind. And the one in Bogotá has a very interesting history.
In this park, I didn't find anyone to tell me about them, and I think it would be interesting to know who they are and why they were honored in this place. Similarly, I can tell you what I know about them without looking it up on the internet, just from my general knowledge:
Fabricio Ojeda was a man who opposed the government in the 1980s. He was imprisoned and later disappeared by the police. Why is there a bust here? Because his body was found days later on our beaches. There is a bridge named after him in my city, which connects it to neighboring cities.
Miguel Otero Silva is a Venezuelan writer known to most of us because in school we are required to read his novel Dead Houses or When I Want to Cry, I Don't Cry to explain magical realism in literary works. What I didn't know is that he was born in my city, which is why there is a bust of him in the park.
Andrés Eloy is a renowned Venezuelan poet born in a neighboring state. The poem I recognize by him is “Paint me black angels” (Paint me black angels), which refers to inequality in art (and in everything in general) that was only expressed by white people, when in reality here on our continent we are a mixture of beautiful skin colors. It is very profound, complex, and relevant. I recommend reading it.
Giving an example of our culture and characteristics, here is a depiction of our indigenous people with their distinctive features, and I loved it because they portrayed them as brave, refusing to be subjugated by white people and defending their homeland. I love stories like this.
I don't know who this friend is, but I find the realism of his glasses interesting; I don't think I've seen another bust like it. Have you?
I created the banner and separator with the help of Canva.
I used DeepL as my translator.
Until next time 🌟
