Eduardo Galeano

Medium: Literature, Print Journalism

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Artist: Eduardo Galeano

Confronting Bodies: Military dictatorships in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile

Dates of Action: 1973, 1976

Location: Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile

Description of Artwork: Eduardo Galeano is an essayist and historian who spent his life advocating for the poor. He wrote for and edited several leftist publications. While in exile he founded the journal Crisis which was founded with the public and served as a voice for the poor. Galeano also wrote a number of books documenting the exploitation of Latin America throughout history. These included The Open Veins of Latin America, the epilogue to that Seven Years After and Memory of Fire. He also wrote about the plight of the poor in Days and Nights of Love and War and of the horrors of state censorship in In Defense of the Word.

The Incident: In 1973, after a military dictatorship came into power in Uruguay, Galeano was forced into exile in Argentina. In Argentina he founded the publication Crisis, which was censored and confiscated by the military for "nonprofessional opinions". In 1976 Galeano left for Spain. While in Spain he wrote The Open Veins of Latin America and Memory of Fire which were censored in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. After these encounters with censorship Galeano became a voice in the struggle against state sponsored censorship.

Results of Incident: Galeano continues to write articles speaking out against neoliberalism and in favor of socialism.

Source: Censorship: A World Encyclopedia