Oct
08
Filed Under (Malian culture) by Rob on 08-10-2010

…this one:

Yes, probably even more popular than Obama’s is the face of the late Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Not really sure why – maybe Africans just like the image of a rugged-looking military type, maybe because Africans feel he stands for the rights of the poor or perhaps because of his involvement in the Congo in the 60’s.

In Bamako, you’ll see pictures of Che on the back of sotramas, on motorbikes and on sale at markets. I don’t wish to make any political comments about Che, but here’s one thing he said, which I like:

“Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men — how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?”

I notice a number of films have been made about Che, including this 4+ hour-long epic.

He’s certainly easy to draw – longish hair and a beret with a star on and everyone knows who it is!



Comments:
1 Comment posted on "The most seen face in Bamako is…"
Ben Griffin on October 9th, 2010 at 4:41 am #

Motorcycle Diaries is a wonderful film about his early years in South America. Kind of a coming of age/road trip movie. One of my favorites!

I also like his quote, “Let the world change you and you can change the world.”