The departure of Eduardo Galeano from this world marks the end of an era, with its memories of colonialism, politically charged lines, socially committed poetry, separated lovers, families torn apart, militant journalism, the destructive force of imperialism, the fleeting epic, volatile words, recycled tyrants and imaginary revolutions.
His book Open Veins of Latin America, which became compulsory reading for several generations, continues to be tragically relevant today, because decades later the poverty, backwardness and hardship he described have yet to be defeated.
Eduardo Galeano has died, but his ideals have taken root as never before in his home country of Uruguay, whose outgoing president, José Mujica, went back home after governing the country in the same way he arrived: in his old, beaten-up Volkswagen. He returned to his farm, whose collapsing roof he has yet to fix up because he gave his presidential salary away to the poor. He is, in effect, a character straight out of one of Galeano’s novels.
Translation on Martin Boyd