By: María Alejandra Prada 10B
The 21 st century. The era of development, technology, advance and why not,
women empowerment. Certainly, it has made it clear: women are the new men in this
era… Pardon! Should I have said we are all the same? The young, eighteen-year-old
21 st century has screamed out loud that this is humanity’s time for embracing all that
is different and unique; for celebrating gender equality and the end of sex stereotypes
that have lasted the same as humankind. Sadly, even though this new century just
“turned the age of majority”, it is still very hypocritical and sometimes forgets what it
has already said.
Welcome to the tragic museum of all those women whose names you can´t
recall. Welcome, and please, do stay. It is a journey I am sure you will not forget.
Sure, I can’t deny it. Women are receiving the support they have never had
before: they are improving their jobs and salaries and are becoming independent. But
still, at least in Colombia, their work is unrecognized as equal. Why do I state this?
Please do a quick exercise and you’ll see. Think of three Colombian male writers. The
answers can vary but, without doubt, you can say, Gabriel García Marquez, (our Nobel
Prize winner), William Ospina or Daniel Samper Pizano, among others. Now, think
again and number three Colombian female writers.
That’s what I was talking about.
Literature is where all types of persons can find shelter. Writing is our way to
shape the world the way we prefer. What happens to women’s words? Are all the
letters already taken? Are pages and chapters and ink only tools for men? I refuse to
believe any of that. Colombian women are the fortresses of our society; they don’t
need any fame or glory, they demand to be listened. They require their letters to be saved.
Let us start the tour. To your left you can see the beautiful Santander, from
which our very first author is from. Her name is Clara Mercedes Arango and her
poetry is delightful for any kind of reader who finds it hard to say goodbye. Her
melancholic letters can be fully appreciated in her book “En la memoria me confundo”.
Now, what about some salsa? Let us move west to Mi Cali bello, one of the most
amazing cities of Colombia, home town of the best music and dances.
Here, we will meet the “world trotter” and Social Communicator from the Pontificia Universidad
Javeriana, Pilar Quintana. After her trips around the globe, she wrote a book named
“Cosquillas en la lengua” and in 2012 she wrote an excellent book that is made up by
six different short stories and talks about desire and human impulses. It is called
“Caperucita se come al lobo”. Get to know the world through this caleña’s eyes; they
will surprise you.
Can you smell the Ajiaco? Of course! We now are at my natal city and
Colombia’s capital, Bogotá D.C. In this crazy, big city we can meet Carolina Sanín, a
writer and teacher, author of the novel “Todo en otra parte”, and also a recognized
columnist in “El Espectador” diary, “La silla vacia” and “Semana” magazine. This rola
definitely deserves not only a big applause, but also the honor of being read, criticized,
and discussed more frequently. Also from Bogotá, Gabriela Arciénagas, is a word and
book lover. She isn’t just an author of several stories and poetry books, but also a story
teller, columnist, essay writer and novelist. Her very first novel is called “Rojo
Sombra”, and centers on Esteban Catillo’s life: an eighteen-year- old man who has a
very dangerous secret and, above all, profoundly fears to fall in love.
Unfortunately, the show must come to an end. Apart from the women you saw
today, we can find a lot more amazing Colombian female writers. Maybe lost in the
Amazonic jungle, following the steps of conquerors and slaves in Cartagena, watching
dawns in El Llano, or maybe sitting down right next to you. Now, the trip has ended;
thank you for visiting us, but please be sure to come back and let these women speak
their voices freely. Are we on the 21 st century? Prove it. Repeat that exercise again.
Tell me the name of 5, ten, a hundred girls that through words are creating a better
world - one that includes both women and men, one that has all of our voices printed
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