The beauty of an empty space; The Chilean Monument that got removed by the 10/18 Uprising

By IASP. 

Revolts and uprisings brew at best with art. Creative engine, bewitching powerhouse. There is no revolution without poetry, we say in Chile. The 10/18 Chilean uprising prompted the recapture of public spaces as proposing alternatives to areas that were given and erroneously settled in stone. Our progenitors gifted us with the General Baquedano's monument. The revolt "politely" turned them down. Although half the country celebrates the removal of the statue while the rest weeps in agony, we reopened a forgotten venue of dialogue between Santiago and its residents. 

I cannot be but fascinated by the removal of the general Baquedano's monument resulting from the ongoing Chilean unrest that started in 2019. A tale, yes, a tale of this empty square that welcomes a debate of what should be raised in lieu of General Baquedano's monument. An opened space like an empty white page about to be colored. It's time for consciously rethink, rebuild, rethink, repeat, rebuild, discuss, rethink, and repeat. Our city is in bad shape. You can tell that by just looking at the consequences of two years of revolts and a year an half of COVID. I'm still optimistic of what the future will bring. We relearned to talk about our cornerstones; we dream with reshaping these spaces. Whatever is placed instead, it's a victory for us as a society.

To rethink our public spaces means to devote ourselves to our city in a reflective exercise. We reinvigorate our bonds with our surroundings. What purpose serve these cornerstones of Santiago or any place? Memory, story, and identity. The best monument brings something that shall never be forgotten. For instance, the ground zero in NYC reminds us of a ripped tragedy, but also a place were we can commute and grieve together. Public spaces embody this kind of power. Educational, sports, entertainment, trade, community building, etc. Hundreds, thousand of purposes. 

But General Baquedano is alone on his horse. Neither benefit nor goal to be achieved. Meaningless means timeless and also motionless in this case. In other words, this public space was dead. It's like almost dying twice, perhaps, by the time when the government grew tired to protect his legacy. Don't take me wrong, I grew up with heroic stories of the the Pacific war. Yet, General Baquedano felt like a tourist in the former Plaza Italia. He deserves better. Isolated from the very country that he chose to protect with his life. We can do better. Send him home but far from Italia or Dignidad square, whatsoever.

Certainly, there are some attractive proposals to replace general Baquedano's statue. My favorite is a monument to Gabriela Mistral, perhaps one of our most underrated poets to this day. To Gabriela Mistral, our first Nobel prize in poetry. An elementary and secondary teacher deeply involved in advancing the educational systems of Chile and Mexico until her poetry made her world-like famous (Let wind and salt and sand/ drive you crazy, mix you up/ so you can't tell/ East from West,/ or mother from child,/ like fish in the sea./ And on the day, at the hour,/ find only me.) A teacher who really embodies the republican values and the struggles of the middle class. A poet, who can lead a revolution and the changes that are needed so badly with hope and optimism. Whatever project we choose for our nation, we need some poetry on it.

 

What about Violeta Parra? Let's dream high. The sky is the limit. Chilean composer, world famous folk singer, and social activist, best known for traveling throughout Chile to record the breadth of Chilean folk music, but to really recapture the core of our folklore. Violeta Parra gave us a new soul. We owe her everything (Thanks to life, which has given me so much./ It gave me laughter and it gave me tears./ With them I distinguish happiness from pain./ The two elements that make up my song./ And your song, as well, which is the same song. And everyone's song, which is my very song.)

Perhaps having Violeta Parra at the center of Italia or Dignidad square (again whatsoever you may call it), a meeting point of the ongoing changes, can remind us that we can build something new and beautiful from our diverse population but always walking together, hand by hand. That's a monument that we need badly in these difficult times.

Whatever we choose for this empty public space waiting to be filled in, I hope it results from an endless dialogue with our society. A dialogue for the days to come.