Historically, Chicano and latinoamericano poetry has reflected the political and social history of the times, much as it does today with contributions of latino poets around Arizona's banning of Chicano books and the immigration quagmire aimed at latinos.
So too, for a recent poem by the 1999 Nobel Poet Laureate Günter Grass, which created a heated international debate because of Grass's personal history as a German youth and his country's history under the Nazi Party and Hitler.
In line with La Bloga's cultural mission of supporting literature, our commitment to the dissemination of information, and our abhorrence to censorship, below is a translation of the poem, which many have heard about, but not many have necessarily read.
We leave it to readers to examine the text both for its literary worth, as well as to judge the importance of its political message.
What Must Be Said
[also published in Süddeutsche Zeitung 5 April 2012]
Why have I kept silent, held back so long,
on something openly practiced in
war games, at the end of which those of us
who survive will at best be footnotes?
It's the alleged right to a first strike
that could destroy an Iranian people
subjugated by a loudmouth
and gathered in organized rallies,
because an atom bomb may be being
developed within his arc of power.
Yet why do I hesitate to name
that other land in which
for years—although kept secret—
a growing nuclear power has existed
beyond supervision or verification,
subject to no inspection of any kind?
This general silence on the facts,
before which my own silence has bowed,
seems to me a troubling lie, and compels
me toward a likely punishment
the moment it's flouted:
the verdict "Anti-semitism" falls easily.
But now that my own country,
brought in time after time
for questioning about its own crimes,
profound and beyond compare,
is said to be the departure point,
(on what is merely business,
though easily declared an act of reparation)
for yet another submarine equipped
to transport nuclear warheads
to Israel, where not a single atom bomb
has yet been proved to exist, with fear alone
the only evidence, I'll say what must be said.
But why have I kept silent till now?
Because I thought my own origins,
Tarnished by a stain that can never be removed,
meant I could not expect Israel, a land
to which I am, and always will be, attached,
to accept this open declaration of the truth.
Why only now, grown old,
and with what ink remains, do I say:
Israel's atomic power endangers
an already fragile world peace?
Because what must be said
may be too late tomorrow;
and because—burdend enough as Germans—
we may be providing material for a crime
that is foreseeable, so that our complicity
wil not be expunged by any
of the usual excuses.
And granted: I've broken my silence
because I'm sick of the West's hypocrisy;
and I hope too that many may be freed
from their silence, may demand
that those responsible for the open danger
we face renounce the use of force,
may insist that the governments of
both Iran and Israel allow an international authority
free and open inspection of
the nuclear potent
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Museo de las Américas, Most Recent at Top [Help]
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By: Contributing Bloguistas:,
on 4/14/2012
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, fashion, Museo de las Américas, What Must Be Said, gunther grass, Add a tag
By: Contributing Bloguistas:,
on 3/31/2012
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poet laureate, Barack Obama, Juan Felipe Herrera, summer camp, Museo de las Américas, Jim Crow, Flurb, Chicano SF, Add a tag
by Rudy Garcia
Last week, Juan Felipe Herrera was appointed California poet laureate by Gov. Jerry Brown. If this is confirmed by the California Senate, Herrera will become the first Chicano to ever receive this recognition.
You can go here to read about it, here to read more about him, and you can send him felicidades via E-mail to juan.herreraATucr.edu.
La Bloga can only say: Era tiempo!
Last Call for Ice Cream?
Not as significant as Herrrera's achivement, this zany story of mine was accepted by Rudy Rucker (of cyberpunk fame) for his Ezine Flurb #13. You can access a copy for FREE to see what at least one Chicano is doing to widen our presence in the spec fiction world. You can get Flurb #13 as an ebook that can be read on any e-reading device---Kindles, iPhones, Androids, NOOKs, Windows laptops, iPads, whatever. Mobi (for Kindle) and Epub (for the others) available for download at http://www.flurb.net/ebook/
Please leave comments there.
Denver's Museo de las Americas is proud to present the 2012 summer camp program, "Animales." Students will have the opportunity to discover the wild world of animals through this multidisciplinary summer arts camp.
For three consecutive weeks, participants will immerse themselves in visual arts, dance, music, and theater classes to better understand the bond between animals, humans, and the environment. Each class is conducted by a trained teacher who is committed to advancing the students' understanding of animals through arts integration techniques and cultural competencies.
Dates: June 25th -July 13, 2012
July 4th: No Camp
July 13th: Final Performance
Hours: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, snack provided
Ages: K through 6th grade
Cost: Scholarships available to DPS students on a first-come, first serve basis
If interested, contact Christina Gese, our Education Director at [email protected], (303) 571-4401, ext. 28, or in person at 861 Santa Fe Dr., Denver.
Space limited; request registration form today. Deadline May 1st, 2012.
By: Lydia Gil,
on 4/27/2011
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Le Guin, Gabriela Mistral, Museo de las Américas, La Sociedad, Add a tag
 Song of Death Old Woman Census-taker, Death the Trickster, when you're going along, don't you meet my baby. Sniffing at newborns, smelling for the milk, find salt, find cornmeal, don't find my milk. Anti-Mother of the world, People-Collector — on the beaches and byways, don't meet that child. The name he was baptized, that flower he grows with, forget it, Rememberer. Lose it, Death. Let wind and salt and sand drive you crazy, mix you up so you can't tell East from West, or mother from child, like fish in the sea. And on the day, at the hour, find only me. URSULA LE GUIN Y LA POESÍA DE GABRIELA MISTRAL Ursula K. Le Guin ha traducido al inglés 164 poemas de Mistral en un libro bilingüe publicado por la editorial de la Unive
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By: Manuel Ramos,
on 4/21/2011
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Lalo Delgado, Premio Aztlán, Museo de las Américas, Carlos Fuentes, Tim Z. Hernandez, Add a tag
The Metropolitan State College of Denver President's Office of Institutional Diversity and the Department of Chicana/o Studies present the 4th Annual Lalo Delgado Poetry Festival - "Man on a Mission" - April 25, 2011, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at St. Cajetan's Event Center, Auraria Campus. Metro will celebrate Delgado’s life and career (he taught there for seventeen years) with a variety of events led by Chicano scholar Joe Navarro and punctuated with appearances by Delgado’s family, Metro officials and Lieutenant Governor Joseph Garcia, along with numerous readings and tributes from local poets. All events are free; for more information, call Metro’s Chicano Studies department at 303-556-3124. PROGRAM: Lalo: Man on A Mission MC Adriana Duran-Hodge 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Prayer, Jim Garcia 9:15 - 9:30 a.m. Blessing Ceremony - Azteca Groupo Chimaltonalli 9:30 - 9:45 a.m. Introductions - Amanda Duran 9:45 - 10:00 a.m. Lalo's Poem "La Llorona: Ronnie Ortega 10:00 -10:30 a.m. Guest Poet: Joe Navarro, Chicano Scholar 10:30 -11:00 a.m. Dr. Luis Torres, MSCD Deputy Provost Academic Affairs Poetry Readings - Lalo's Great-Grandchildren: Lalito Ayala, Mariah Jo Bradley, Daniel Jugret, Evelyn Ramirez, Aliana Inez Velasquez, Michael Alexander Vidal 11:00- 11:15 a.m Poets- 11:15 - 11:30 a.m. Dr. Steven Jordan, President MSCD 11:30 - 11:45 a.m. Colorado Lt. Governor Joseph Garcia 11:45 - 12:15 p.m. Lunch - Grupo Folklorico Sabor Latino 12:15 - 2:00 p.m. Poets: Ricardo Lafore, Amadeo Miera, Dr. Ramon del Castillo, Ken Arkind, Renee Bryant, Sarah & Ryan Jones 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. Award of Lalo Delgado Scholarships: Professor Steven Cantu In the spring issue of AARP VIVA, Carlos Fuentes expounds on a wide variety of topics. Here are a few quotes from the magazine: On retiring: “Retiring is the worst thing you can do for your mind. Then what? You ride around on a bicycle? You have to work until the very end.” On his grandparents’ legacy: "They gave me two things. On one side was a severity, punctuality and discipline; the other gave me joy and creativity.” On the importance of education: “Wit
1 Comments on It's All Good - News That Fits, last added: 4/22/2011
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By: Contributing Bloguistas:,
on 9/25/2010
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Museo de las Américas, Frontera NorteSur, Dan Olivas, Ascencion, Add a tag
La Bloga's Dan Olivas has a new story in the online litmag, Pinstripe Fedora, entitled, Things We Do Not Talk About. The issue is in PDF format with a nice design. Check it out here.
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By: Manuel Ramos,
on 6/5/2009
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: El Centro Su Teatro, Lalo Delgado, Museo de las Américas, CHAC, Chicanos in Denver, Add a tag
This post is motivated by similar articles I've read lately about why it's great to be a Latino in the U.S. or particular cities, etc. Lacking any brilliant inspiration for today's edition of La Bloga, I decided to steal the idea and give you my own list. No particular order, just how the pieces came to me. I have more than five reasons, but I ran out of time. Maybe I'll continue with my list in future posts. If you have your own suggestions, send them in. Click on the comments link below. 
4 Comments on Five Reasons It's Great to be a Chicano in Denver, last added: 6/24/2009
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By: Manuel Ramos,
on 5/29/2009
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Museo de las Américas, Hit List, The Lineup, Mariachi Real de San Diego, Cancion Mexicana, Add a tag
NEW BOOKS Mario's story leads off the collection. Oh, Yeah is a short piece but it has plenty of humor, surprises, and tension to whet your appetite for the rest of the stories. My story, The Skull of Pancho Villa, features Gus Corral, a character I've grown fond of and who is starring in the novel I've just started. Here are a couple of photos from the event.
Manuel Ramos and Mario Acevedo at the Tattered Cover, May 21, 2009
Mario and Manuel sign copies of Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery THE LINEUP  Edited by Gerald So with Patrick Shawn Bagley, R. Narvaez, and Anthony Rainone ISSN 1945-7510 6" x 9", 36 pages, saddle-stitched $6.00Available from Lulu.com and fine independent bookstores The Lineup: Poems on Crime, Issue 02, has arrived. What does poetry have to do with crime? As Patrick Shawn Bagley says in his introduction to the latest issue of this chapbook, Poets do not ask that question. People for whom poetry is a vital part of their reading life do not ask that question. ... So why do we write crime fiction, let alone crime poetry? One may as well ask why we write -- or read -- anything at all. We do it in an attempt to understand. We do it to find some kind of meaning in events that all too often leave victims, perpetrators and everyone around them damaged or destroyed. ... Here you will find proof beyond any reasonable doubt of poetry's relevance to modern life. Get your hands on this book and dig deep into serious, provocative images. I'm honored that my poem, The Smell of Onions, is included. The Lineup has quite a lineup of contributors: Amy MacLennan, Jennifer L. Knox, Deshant Paul, Stephen D. Rogers, Sophie Hannah, Christopher Watkins, Carol Novack, John Harvey, reed Farrel Coleman, Patrick Carrington, Karen Petersen, Janis Butler Holm. I hear that issue 03 will have Sarah Cortez as one of the editors. Sarah is the co-editor of Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery.  Mariachi Classics: Mariachi Real de San Diego Review by Flo, host of Cancion Mexicana, KUVO 89.3 fm, Denver A picture may be worth a thousand words, but music is worth a thousand pictures. This is aptly illustrated by Mariachi Classics, a 2009 CD released by Mariachi Real of San Diego on the Mardi Gras Records label. The CD has sixteen covers of songs that should be in the repertoire of any mariachi worth its salt. Many of the tunes evoke visions of girls in bright yellow, red, and blue swirling skirts with colorful satin ribbons in their hair. Others conjure up a snorting, prancing horse that rears up on its hind legs straddled by a charro waving his sombrero just as the Mariachi comes to a crescendo. The table is set by the opening song, Las Mañanitas, signaling that what is coming is indeed a taste of old Mexico. In Mexico where most people follow the Catholic calendar, Las Mañanitas is traditionally sung to those celebrating the feast day of the Saint whose name they bear. In the United States, for people of Mexican heritage, no matter by how many generations or by how many miles they are distanced from Mexico, Las Mañanitas has become the “birthday” song. All of the canciones on the CD are standards and the Mariachi Real de San Diego gives exciting renditions. A song becomes a standard by being played over and over again and in this case for decades. The songs have survived wars, crossed borders and been passed from generation to generation. Yet each time they are sung they sound as exciting as the first time but familiar enough that we know every word. No matter how you translate it, the Mariachi Real de San Diego lives up to its name. In Spanish “real” means royal. This Mariachi’s vocal and instrumental mastery blend together seamlessly to create solid, soul-stirring renditions of these Mexican standards. If you only speak English, you’re also right - this is truly a REAL mariachi. ____________ Thanks, Flo - here's a video of Mariachi Real de San Diego Later. 
2 Comments on Mariachis, Museo, M&Ms, and More, last added: 5/29/2009
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By: Manuel Ramos,
on 8/15/2008
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Dayton Literary Prize, Luis Miguel Rocha, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, Museo de las Américas, A Dozen On Denver, José Carlos Somoza, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Add a tag
DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE The Dayton Literary Peace Prize, inaugurated in 2006, is the first and only annual U.S. literary award recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace. The Dayton Literary Peace Price invites nominations in adult fiction and nonfiction books published within the past year that have led readers to a better understanding of other cultures, peoples, religions, and political points of view. Both awards carry a $10,000 cash prize.
Other nominees in the Fiction category include Robert Olmstead and Yoko Taniguchi. INSIDE/OUTSIDE/NORTH & SOUTH Inside/Outside/North & South celebrates the conclusion of a five-month international collaboration between the Museo de las Américas, El Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore, La Paz, Bolivia and the Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, Mexico. Through intense web-dialogues between the three countries, the teens from each site have produced art works exploring causes, changes and results surrounding stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Led by prominent artists from each site, the completed works will be presented in a cohesive exhibition about this timely issue. Artists Denver Artists: Gwylym Cano, Ana Maria Hernando Mexican Artists: Marie France Desdier, Metapong Bolivian Artists: Soledad Ardaya, Mauricio Montero Cardoso, Ivan Molina, Alvaro Ruilova Opening reception - August 21, 7 - 9 PM ($4); show runs through September 14 Special performance by Sambos Caporales 861 Santa Fe Drive, Denver 303-571-4401 NEW BOOKS  Thank you High Crimes Mystery Bookshop for the updates! Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza. Blackout (Holt, August, 2008 ). With no witnesses and no weapon, it seems like the case of the one-legged homeless man found lying in a cul-de-sac on São João Hill, shot through the heart, will remain unsolved. But Chief Inspector Espinosa can’t shake thoughts of the hapless victim—who would target a penniless man who posed no physical threat? This is the sixth in this series. Antonio Muñoz Molina. A Manuscript of Ashes (Harcourt, August, 2008). Seeking refuge from the police during the last days of Franco’s rule, Minaya moves into his uncle’s country estate. There he stumbles upon dark secrets involving an old poet, his uncle, and the death of the woman they both had loved. Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The King’s Gold (Putnam, August, 2008). This story picks up in Seville, 1626. After serving with honor at the bloody siege of Breda, Captain Alatriste and his protege, Inigo Balboa, have returned: battle-weary, short of cash, and with few prospects for honest work. But the Spanish empire is as dangerous as ever, and it’s not long before Alatriste receives an intriguing offer of short-term employment. This is the fourth in this series.  Luis Miguel Rocha. The Last Pope (Putnam, August, 2008). 1978, Vatican City: On September 29, the world awakens to news of the shocking, sudden death of Pope John Paul I, elected only thirty three days earlier. The Vatican’s official response: His Holiness died of unknown causes, “possibly associated with a heart attack.” The pope’s body is embalmed within twenty-four hours, preventing any possibility of an autopsy. 2006, London: Journalist Sarah Monteiro returns from vacation to find a mysterious envelope stuffed in her mailbox. Inside is a list of unfamiliar names and a coded message. At first, Sarah is merely puzzled by the strange delivery. But when a masked intruder breaks into her home, she knows that t  he list has put her in danger.José Carlos Somoza. Zig Zag (Harper, July, 2008). While studying advanced physics at a prestigious European university, Elisa Robledo was invited to join a select research team on a secret project to manipulate String Theory. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for the eager young scientist. But on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, the team’s experiments went horribly awry…and something terrible was awakened. This is a paperback edition of the 2007 hardback. A DOZEN ON DENVER The Rocky Mountain News is looking for an original story to complete its series, A Dozen on Denver: Stories to celebrate the city at 150. The winner will receive a $500 prize and the story will be published in a Rocky Mountain News special section on November 14. The story must be an original work, set in Denver in the future (how far in the future is your decision) and must mention Larimer Street. It should be 2,500 words. When writing, remember that language and situations must be appropriate for a family audience to read. Get all the details here. I'm pleased to announce that my story, Fence Busters, is part of the series and will appear in the newspaper sometime after Labor Day. I'll give a heads up when I know the date. Fence Busters is set in 1958, a long time ago but somehow just yesterday. Later.
0 Comments on A Prize, A Contest, New Art, New Books as of 8/15/2008 2:38:00 AM
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25 pieces of a chicano mind is the first work of "chicano" literature i owned. sabes que? i'd love to see kids memorize and recite "stupid america" and "el inmigrante".