The following catalogue was put together to accompany the exhibition Echoes of 1973: Revisiting the Memories of Latin America, organised by UoL students from King’s College London, London School of Economics, and Queen Mary University London. The catalogue documents the heart of this project – an exhaustive set of interpretive and analytical texts that bring the exhibited posters to life, authored by the participating students.
The exhibition takes you through a compelling set of posters, pamphlets and publications that capture the spirit of resistance, social change, and political movements in Latin America. The catalogue uncovers the history of these visual materials, and places them in the broader context of the geopolitical, social and economic shifts that were occurring in the continent, as well as the world at large, in the 1970s.
This catalogue also introduces you to the faces behind this project: the students who selected, analysed and exhibited these posters, the teams who organised events to project the spirit of this project, and the faculty advisors who guided and facilitated this process. Finally, this catalogue is a continuation of the tradition set by the students in Latin America fifty odd years ago – that of putting to paper what must be remembered, even when the tides of time and power resist its commemor.
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ECHOES OF 1973
Dive in
Interested? Have a look at the documentary and the full catalogue that consists of the all the posters and essay!
Argentina
RAISE YOUR VOICE, SAVE A LIFE
“There is no doubt that political artworks helped spread the message of resistance in the face of adversity”
Author: Tilila Sara Bakrim
Listen to audio:
Brazil
WHEN VOLUNTEERS BECAME ACTIVISTS
“The cover tells us how widespread not only the knowledge of the atrocities being committed in Brazil was, but also the extent to which the US and its allies were seen as being complicit.”
Author: Ciaran Mooney
Listen to audio:
Chile
THE ROLE OF MEMORY IN CONSTRUCTING HISTORICAL NARRATIVES
“I was born a Chilean, I am a Chilean, I will die a Chilean. They, the Fascists, were born traitors, live as traitors and will be remembered forever as Fascist traitors.” — Orlando Letelier, September 10, 1976
Author: Nathalie Scharpf
Listen to audio:
ALLENDE - CHILE’S COMPAÑERO PRESIDENT
Nicknamed the “compañero” president, Allende was perceived as a representative vessel that would drive forward the people’s vision.
Author: Linda Kelmendi
Listen to audio:
REMEMBERING CHILE’S DISAPPEARED YOUTH
“The kidnappings, incarcerations, and killings of students under Pinochet’s regime serve as a stark reminder of the vital importance of protecting human rights and civil liberties.”
Author: Nicole Xiayi Pung
Listen to audio:
THE MANy deaths of Pablo Neruda: man against poet in the harsh light of history
“Today, while talking, the past, my past, got out of hand. With indulgence the dirty little things, empty episodes, black flour, dust (...) You hold your nose, clearly you dislike the pasts of others a lot.” - Extract from Ode to the Past in Elemental Odes (1950), Pablo Neruda.
Author: Paulina Bravo Prida
Listen to audio:
CHILE: UNMASKING DEVELOPMENT
The poster is more than just a photograph of a workers’ strike – it highlights the role that protests play in building a country’s future.
Author: Cynthia Lacouture
Listen to audio:
Colombia
WHOSE LAND IS IT ANYWAY?
“These illustrations are a striking depiction of the beneficiaries and the victims of INCORA’s corruption and bias.”
Author: James Hulme
Listen to audio:
Cuba
THE POWER OF WORDS AND ACTIONS: DECENTRALISED UNITY IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDENT ORGANISATIONS
"In a time of crisis, the peoples of the world must rush to get to know each other." - Jose Marti
Author: Daniel Spill
Listen to audio:
uruguay
URUGUAY'S DARK DICTATORSHIP
‘The dictatorship was a “monster” unto which one dreams of extirpating an eye or an arm’ - interview with an unnamed university scholar with direct experience of the regime.
Author: Mathilde Benguigui
Listen to audio:
THIRD-WORLDISM IN LATIN AMERICA & THE VIETNAM METAPHOR
“When the day of victory comes, our people will reconstruct the country better [than ever], and will make it greater and more beautiful” - Ho Chi Minh, quoted in the poster.
Author: Mercedes Osuna Vergara
Listen to audio:
festival programme
festival programme
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DATE - 24th March 2023
LOCATION - QMUL ArtsOne, London
A film screening of “La Historia Oficial”, directed by Luis Puenzo. In 1986, La historia oficial was the first Latin American film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This powerful and thought-provoking film examines the complex issues surrounding truth, memory, and justice in the aftermath of Argentina's “Dirty War” and its impact on a family.
The film was followed by an academic roundtable and panel discussion about the impact of the dictatorship on Argentinian society and the subsequent oppression of social movements. -
DATE - 17th April 2023
LOCATION - The Exchange, King’s College London
This exhibition marked the culmination of months of exploration into Latin America in the 1970s as part of Thinking Inside the Box: 1973, the second iteration of a student-led archive analysis and curatorial project. The exhibition showcased an exquisite collection of political posters and pamphlets from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay, and Uruguay, carefully selected by students from King’s College London, London School of Economics, and Queen Mary University London.
Engaging with the Latin American political pamphlets collection at the Senate House Library archives and Modern Endangered Archives Program at the UCLA Library, the project took a deep dive into their expansive, yet largely unknown, collections of Latin American political posters and pamphlets of the mid-20th century. The exhibition was accompanied by original written works from undergraduate and postgraduate students that highlighted the visual, communicative, historical, and political relevance of the materials, allowing the audience to revisit the history of Latin America through a new, reflective lens.
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LOCATION - College Chapel, King's College London Strand Lane
DATE - 21st April 2023.
TITB was joint by the European premiere of Oratorio a los Mártires del 23 de julio (Oratory to the Martyrs of July 23rd), an unpublished work composed by Nicaraguan musician Carlos Mejia Godoy and performed by King’s Brazil Ensemble.
Nicaragua’s contention with dictatorial rule dates back further than most of Latin America’s. The Somoza family imposed a civil dictatorship on the country in the 1930s, which lasted four decades. This time was characterised by growing wealth inequality, misuse of public funds, and suppression of public dissent.
On 23rd of July, 1959, the soldiers of the Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional (National Guard) opened fire on a parade organised by the students of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (Autonomous University of Nicaragua). With four dead and sixty injured, 23rd July came to mark a dark day in Nicaragua’s history, one that continues to haunt the public consciousness to this day.
Carlos Mejia Godoy, one of Nueva Cancion’s foremost proponents, composed an ode to the lives lost on 23rd July in the form of Oratorio a Los Mártires del 23 de Julio, exhibiting the perfect harmony with which his work as a musician and a revolutionary co-exist. This concert showcased an arrangement of this piece specially written for the King’s Brazil Ensemble by Stefan Metzger, in addition to pieces from Chile.
Watch the concert here.
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DATE - September 2023
LOCATION - Embassy of Chile, London
The Embassy of Chile in the United Kingdom, King's College London and the University of Leeds launched the exhibition Thinking inside the box: Chile, 1973.
The opening included an exhibition of political posters from the project Hope, Struggle and Solidarity and a performance by King’s Brazil Ensemble.
See images of the event below.
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DATE - 19th Aptil 2023
LOCATION - Anatomy Theatre & Museum, London
Guest lecture by Prof. Rodrigo Patto Sá Motta discussing the watershed year of 1973 in the context of Latin American authoritarian regimes.
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DATE - 20th April 2023
LOCATION - King’s College London
A participatory workshop led by students. Participants learnt about the historical context of Latin America in the 70s and had the chance to create a political poster.
