DECOLONIZATION OF THE MIND IN THE WORKS OF ERNESTO CARDENAL, EDUARDO GALEANO AND AURORA LEVINS MORALES

Abstract

The essay deals with the treatment of history in the works of three Latin american writers: Ernesto Cardenal, Eduardo galeano and aurora Levins Morales. as Silvia d. ducach observes in the syllabus for her high school class on Latin american literature, the origin of this literature’s uniqueness lies in its delicate sense of social injustice, rooted in the carefully observed history of the countries the artists come from (ducach 2010). It is history presented as a collection of private stories, rather than the official version the dominant culture imposes and controls. In examining galeano’s and Morales’ theories of history and artistic creativity this paper highlights the support their views have in the theoretical works of the french psychiatrist, philosopher and revolutionary born in Martinique, frantz fanon, palestinian-american author and professor at Columbia university, Edward Said, and african author and academic, Ngugi wa Thiong’o. The comparative analysis of these authors is undertaken in order to encourage a more ‘global’ perspective on (and response to) the process of ‘neo-colonization’ that is taking place today. The essay will examine the interrelation between history, language, culture, literature and education, and the role of creativity in the ‘decolonization of the mind’ in all these fields.