Tribute to Mario Benedetti....

Yesterday, the 17th of May, one of the greatest poets of Latin America passed away. Mario Benedetti (September 14 1920 – May 17 2009) was an Uruguayan poet, journalist and novelist. He lived in exile during the military dictatorship in Uruguay from 1973 to 1985. He wrote for his country, for love and for revolution. He was a proclaimed leftist who actively struggled against the military dictatorship and firmly defended and supported the Cuban Revolution. Mario Benedetto, indeed a great loss for Latin America, and for all those who aspire and fight for freedom and justice everywhere. Mario Benedetti joined his comarade Pablo Neruda, and the ranks of all the great poets who recently left us such as the great Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwich.

Like all who spoke, wrote and worked for freedom, and social justice, the words of Benedetti will not be forgot and will be constantly repeated by all who still believe in equality, revolution in the brotherhood of Man.

I post here one of his most famous poems, Te quiero (I love you) and i have also translated in english...

Te Quiero

sus manos son mi caricia 
mis acordes cotidianos 
te quiero porque tus manos 
trabajan por la justicia 

si te quiero es porque sos 
mi amor mi cómplice y todo 
y en la calle codo a codo 
somos mucho más que dos 

tus ojos son mi conjuro 
contra la mala jornada 
te quiero por tu mirada 
que mira y siembra futuro 

tu boca que es tuya y mía 
tu boca no se equivoca 
te quiero porque tu boca 
sabe gritar rebeldía 

si te quiero es porque sos 
mi amor mi cómplice y todo 
y en la calle codo a codo 
somos mucho más que dos 

y por tu rostro sincero 
y tu paso vagabundo 
y tu llanto por el mundo 
porque sos pueblo te quiero 

y porque amor no es aureola 
ni cándida moraleja 
y porque somos pareja 
que sabe que no está sola 

te quiero en mi paraíso 
es decir que en mi país 
la gente viva feliz 
aunque no tenga permiso 

si te quiero es porque sos 
mi amor mi cómplice y todo 
y en la calle codo a codo 
somos mucho más que dos.

I Love You

Your hands are my caress 

My everyday chords 

I love you because your hands 

Work for justice

If I love you it is because you are

My love, my accomplice and everything

And on the street, side by side 

We are much more than two

Your eyes are my spell 

Against bad days 

I love you for your eyes 

Which look at and sow the future

Your mouth is yours and mine 

Your mouth is never wrong 

I love you because your mouth 

Knows how to shout rebellion

If I love you it is because you are

My love, my accomplice and everything

And on the street side by side

We are much more than two

And for your sincere face

And your wandering gait

And your tears for the world

Because you are the people I love you

And because love is not a halo 

And neither a candid moral 

And because we are a pair 

Who knows it is not alone

I want you in my paradise 

That is in my country 

Where the people live happily 

Even if it is not allowed

If I love you it is because you are

My love, my accomplice and everything

And on the street side by side

We are much more than two

Chavez wins constitutional referendum

Yesterday, the Venezuelan people voted in favor of lifting the term limits in office for elected officials. The winning margin was clear cut for Chavez, 94% of the people went to voting booths and 54% voted in favor. In 2007 Chavez lost a similar referendum, where he asked the people to vote on lifting the term limits only for him and not for all elected officials. Thus the president changed the terms of the vote in order to persuade the voters.
Following this vote, Chavez will be able to run for a third term in 2012. In this post i don't intend to minimize the achievements of the Bolivarian revolution led by Chavez, especially in terms of poverty alleviation, advancements into socialism, rendering Venezuela a regional power and protesting the Gringo(American) domination. Also the success of Chavez amongst the Venezuelan population has spurred reactions all over the Latin American continent leaning more and more to the left, we could talk about the election of Evo Morales in Bolivia, and Mrs Kirchner in Argentina who admires Chavez.
Nevertheless, i think that this referendum is dangerous to the future of the Bolivarian Revolution. In a matter of fact, by running again in 2012 Chavez is implicitly or explicitly saying that he is indispensable for the revolution to succeed, this by itself marks a failure. In fact, no successful revolution depends on one man! Hugo Chavez ought to learn from the failures of his predecessors all over the world: many revolutions, and social reforms have failed because they depended on one man who built upon himself a personality cult.
Hugo Chavez and all the leaders in Latin America who claim to be progressive ought not to reject the democratic process who brought them into power. The revolution should be institutionalized and not personalized, Chavez has to pave the way for others who can sustain the revolution. Otherwise it will end up like any other, a disaster! The Cuban revolution is now at an impasse after the illness of Fidel Castro. How many mistakes do we have to make in order to learn?

For more insigths read this article.