Tribute to Liliana Ancalao at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.
The Argentinian poet of Mapuche origin, Liliana Ancalao, received a tribute on the last day of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, surrounded by the public but also by the actress Ofelia Medina, who offered a reading of poems by the author and the writer Hermann Bellinghausen, who recounted the literature of indigenous peoples of America, emphasizing that of the Mapuches who share territory between Argentina and Chile.
Ancalao, with a reading of his work in which he combined the Mapuche language with the Spanish, showed his well-known use of words to express “a reality that occurs inside him, there where his heart as a poet beats most strongly; With her lyrics, she has broken the language barriers, giving voice to the feelings that she has experienced as a woman of the Mapuche people ”, according to those who accompanied her in the tribute that was part of the Native Literature Meeting.
“I want to cry words, condense them to the point of exploding; that their aromas sprout from me as if in heat, gather the pieces of me that are still loose, heal this hard scar that is crossed in the walk of words, ”she said.
Ofelia Medina pointed out that poetry in native languages is a gift from humanity “and we feel very proud that at the Meeting of Literatures in Original Languages we can continue publishing this.”
Hermann Bellinghausen mentioned that in the last 20 years the movement of literature in native languages has increased, as indigenous populations have gained recognition after centuries of oppression and genocide in countries like Mexico, Argentina and Chile.
That is why exponents such as Ancalao have emerged, who went from being a late learner of her language to becoming an indispensable author in the vast world of native languages, Bellinghausen considered.