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| Mariette Valsan |
-Brian Mendonca
Que Chimba! means 'How Cool!' in Spanish. Mariette Valsan was delivering a talk on 'Glimpses of Columbia.'
She engaged the audience in a discussion about Latin America and the culture of resistance as seen in Che Guevara (1928-1967). We were doing Che's Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey as part of our paper on Travel Writing.
Ms. Valsan dazzled the students with her anecdotes of Columbia, sharing stories about its food, art, people, politics and language.
Her presentation included photographs clicked during her travels as well as pictures and videos of her work as a model. She urged the audience to do something outside one's comfort zone, accept challenges as they come, and keep an open mind.
I return to the compelling short story 'The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World' (1968) by Columbian short story writer and novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1928-2014). The magic realism seems so apt to savour a continent so far away.
Not far away is Policarpo Varon (b. 1941, Columbia). His chilling short story 'The Feast' (1973) explores the themes of resistance and power in Columbia.
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Pic taken on 25th November 2021. Updated 27/8/25.
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