Building Bicentenaries

Fernando Carrión Mena.
Quito. Ecuador


The New School of New York Latin American Observatory promoted the international conference “Building Bicentenaries in Latin America in the era of globalization” in order to debate and discuss the challenges of how and why we commemorate two hundred years of independence in Latin America.

The historical context of this commemoration has been marked by the impact of the financial crisis, which has led to three substantial changes: A return to state controlled banking, the motor industry, pension schemes, the closing of certain markets raising the issue of substitution importation; and the redefinition of territories in line with sovereignty and integration.

In this framework the celebrations clearly have a subsidiary meaning. There is no social mobility or emblematic projects because the process is not taking off, meanwhile the names of activities that were already under way have been changed or the role of institutions involved has been changed.

In plural societies such as the ones we live in, it is very difficult to fail to notice the existence of multiple bicentenaries being commemorated at the same time. Mainly because everyone is trying to be the first to complete a time and space based freedom itinerary.

It was Chuquisaca (Sucre) or La Paz, or both, because they both form part of the same freedom movement; the debate is not over who was first, but rather which is henceforth historically justified to claim the status of capital city of Bolivia.

Ecuador is in a similar situation: The freedom cry of 10th August 1809 is questioned because it is said that it was an elitist, monarchic movement in Quito which had little success. This interpretation comes from social groups who are based in certain cities, who are politically confronted by the very meaning of what “national” means in their territory. Ecuador is the only Latin American country that does not have a national day, and yet each different area within the country does have one. Whilst in Latin America emancipation is celebrated on a national level, in Ecuador each region commemorated the foundational acts; i.e. acts of subjugation…

Despite all this, Bicentenaries should be works in progress that should not fall under the inexorable determinism of time. The sense of future is at stake! Mass popular movements trivialize the content and turn it into yet another urban spectacle of commemoration.

We must also be mindful of past events, where, for example, public space, was used to expel autochthonous communities through landscaping policies, the working classes under the banner of urban development and young people in aid of situational prevention. These events took place in three key moments in our history: colonization, 100 years of independence and the bicentenary of emancipation.