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STRUGGLE OF LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN AGAINST OPPRESSION.
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Discusses the suffering Rigobuta Menchu endured as part of an exploited and abused people in Guatemala.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses the suffering Ribobuta Menchu endured as part of an exploited and abused people in Guatemala. Her overcoming poverty and powerlessness and becoming a social and political activist to fight oppression in her native land. Indian culture. Peasant women in Latin America who refused to be passive and fought against oppression and injustice.
Paper Introduction:
Rigoberta Menchu, in I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala, tells the story of her life in poverty and powerlessness and her gradual awakening to the necessity of social and political activism to fight the oppressive forces in her native land. The story of the evolution of her leadership ability, motivation and beliefs is told through the medium of interviews conducted by anthropologist Elisabeth Burgos-Debray. Burgos-Debray argues that the book tells the life of not only one twenty-three-year-old woman, but also the society and culture of which her life is an integral part:
Her life story is an account of contemporary history rather than of Guatemala itself. It is in that sense that it is exemplary: she speaks for all the Indians of the American continent (Burgos-Debray xi).
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Ofcourse, what separates Menchu from most of the rest of her people is thatshe did evolve into a national and international leader of the struggleagainst oppressive government. These factors played a centralrole in her development as a committed leader of her people in Guatemalaand later as an exile. Onedifference was that Ocampos fought back on her own, without being a part ofan organized, community-wide effort. Menchu as an Indian in Guatemala fashioned a life from the land, fromclose relationships with her people and their culture, from religion (bothher native religion and the Bible), and, finally, from the social andpolitical activism which she participated in to try to liberate herself andher people. Everything that is done today, is done in memory of those who have passed on (Burgos-Debray 17). Menchu herself writes on the first page of the book proper that "Mypersonal experience is the reality of a whole people" (Burgos-Debray 1). When she later studied the Bible, she drew from itsstories the same sense of connection with culture and ancestors that markedher own Indian culture (Burgos-Debray 131). However, both women fought backagainst oppression from a stronger enemy--Menchu against the dominantculture and the military dictatorship, and Ocampos against the Spaniard whohad used her, made promises, and then discarded her, believing that hecould do as he pleased and she would not fight back. In fact, much of Menchu's motivation, beliefs and leadership abilitycame from her parents, who, not coincidentally, were the leaders of herpeople: In our community there is an elected representative, someone who is highly respected. He's not a king but someone whom the community looks up to like a father. The culture of Menchu, then, was a deeply integrated one in which allparts were connected, and this fact played a role in the sense ofcompassion she developed and which added to her belief in the need to fightagainst the oppression of the military government: "It made me very sad tosee my mother's face covered in sweat as she tried to finish her work load,and I wanted to help her" (Burgos-Debray 33). Burgos-Debray refers not only to the suffering Menchu endured as apart of an exploited and abused people in Guatemala and on the continent,but also to her role as an individual who overcame that suffering and tookaction to fight back against the forces of oppression. The Human Tradition inModern Latin America. Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources, 1997.Burgos-Debray, Elisabeth, ed. The examples of Ocampos and Gabriela Coni demonstrate that RigobertaMenchu lives and works in a long tradition of women in Latin America who,under different circumstances and against different injustices, have foughtback, either as individuals or parts of a larger, organized group. Beezley and Ewell's The Human Tradition in Modern Latin Americaexplores, among other things, the history of the struggle of peasantsagainst oppression in Latin America. The people's religion is tied to nature through such aspects as thenahual (Burgos-Debray 18). A deep respect and love for her culture, for herpeople, for the land and for nature was instilled into Menchu at an earlyage. . Coni, on the other hand, likeMenchu, was a part of a network of committed individuals who had formed acommunity of resistance. It is in that sense that it is exemplary: she speaks for all the Indians of the American continent (Burgos-Debray xi). She also records the organizationand structure of the Indian community itself, which demonstrates thatMenchu did not develop her leadership skills in a vacuum, or simply gatherthem from the dominant culture. London: Verso, 1997.----------------------- 8 In other words, religion to Menchu was not aseparate aspect of life, any more than culture or economy or nature wassomething separate. diseases, and inadequate housing, the Conis helped shape public policy and private efforts aimed at reducing the alarming rates of infant mortality and communicable diseases. She developed a sense of duty not only to the livingbut to those who had suffered and died: This is the main purpose of our elected leader--to embody all the values handed down from our ancestors. Among the portraits are those of womenwho have fought back, demonstrating that Rigoberta Menchu was a part of anhistorical force and not as much of a rarity as might be believed. The two books read together give a full picture of the history ofwomen who have refused to be silent and passive in the face of oppressionfrom individuals or socioeconomic conditions or military dictatorships. I, Rigoberta Menchu. Above all, he has a commitment to the whole community. Her motivation is the same that would leadany member of an oppressed group to fight back--rage against theoppressors, yes, but also and most importantly a sense of justice and abelief that such justice can be achieved only through organized struggle.An individual may strike a random blow against the oppressor, but only agroup of committed and organized people sharing common beliefs will be ableto gather enough power to make any difference in the power relationsbetween the oppressed and the oppressor. Coni was not a poor peasant like Menchu, but shewas willing to put her comfortable life on the line in the struggle tobetter the lives of the poor: [The Conis] exemplified the commitment and dedication of health workers and social reformers. Works CitedBeezley, William H., and Judith Ewell, eds. Thestruggles of these and other women--not always successful, to be sure--should give to us today a sense of courage and commitment to fight back insome way against injustices committed against ourselves or others. In other words, from their earliest memory, a child feelsherself an intimate part of her culture, her surroundings, her community.This sense is deepened by the relationship of the child to the land and tonature (Burgos-Debray 7). The story of the evolutionof her leadership ability, motivation and beliefs is told through themedium of interviews conducted by anthropologist Elisabeth Burgos-Debray.Burgos-Debray argues that the book tells the life of not only one twenty-three-year-old woman, but also the society and culture of which her life isan integral part: Her life story is an account of contemporary history rather than of Guatemala itself. . The Indians of Guatemala continueto suffer today, both economically and politically, but without theleadership of Menchu and others their condition would almost certainly befar worse than it is. She was a leader in the attempt tounite all the resistance organizations (Burgos-Debray 231) and as a resultof that effort she was driven into exile. . Gabriela Coni, working with her husband Emilio in the mid-19thcentury in Argentina, is an example of how women in the past fought back ona more social level than did Ocampos, the latter focusing primarily on herown plight and her own tarnished honor. In exile, she became aninternational spokeswoman for her people's struggle, and, in effect, foroppressed people everywhere. Confronted by rapid population growth, outbreaks of . Rigoberta Menchu, in I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman inGuatemala, tells the story of her life in poverty and powerlessness and hergradual awakening to the necessity of social and political activism tofight the oppressive forces in her native land. She was able to usethe law (Beezley and Ewell 61) in ways which were not available to Menchu'speople, but nevertheless she serves as an historical precedent for the kindof resistance women have engaged in in Latin America, despite thestereotype of passive and obedient Latin American women. To accomplish their goals they identified women who worked and the work that women performed in the home, the factory, and the bordello as subjects for reformist activities (Beezley and Ewell 78). Then, returning to Guatemala, she continuedher work in the CUC, certainly in part protected by her global fame. She later returnedto Guatemala to continue the struggle against oppression. . For example, Rosa Dominga Ocampos fought back against the "maliciousrumor" that she was pregnant out of wedlock, and against the individual whowas responsible for those rumors. . A good deal of the book chronicles the suffering of Menchu and herfamily, from poverty to brutal murder. That activism eventually led to her exile and an internationalreputation as a symbol of resistance against oppression. Eventually, watching other Indians suffer (including her father whowas jailed many times for his resistance, and others, including familymembers, who were tortured and murdered) led Menchu to the life of activismwhich won her the respect of her people, the hatred of the militarygovernment, and exile from her homeland. As a child, then, Menchu was familiar with leaders, and, because hermother was a leader, Menchu had a female role model to teach her that womenwere not expected to remain silent and passive in the face of social,economic, and political injustices. . Another significant feature of the Indian culture to which Menchubelongs is the belief that all children belong, in a sense, to thecommunity. Ocampos had a background similar toMenchu--both were poor peasants from rural agricultural communities. In our village, my father and mother were the representatives (Burgos-Debray 7). . .
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