Chile’s Bicentennial: Celebrating what we are

Can a country as diverse as Chile be summed up in a single graphic image? Today some thoughts on the official Bicentennial Poster.

Chile loves “concursos”—contests, competitions—of all sorts. They may be of the playful, champion-determining type (sports, games, dances, etc.); the best-of type (the arts, literature, music, etc.); the who-shall-we-hire type; and the who-gets-the-bid type. So it really wasn’t surprising to see that the Bicentennial Committee sponsored a concurso for the official Bicentennial Poster. And here it is.

Chile’s Bicentennial Poster: Celebrating what we are.

The challenge was to graphically portray the idea of “celebrating what we are” (celebrar lo que somos), and designer Pilar Alemparte chose the snow-capped Andes as the predominant theme, with colorful ribbons for a celebratory effect (they also remind me of the kites we so often see flying with the mountains as a backdrop).

It’s a clean, simple, clear design. It’s a good design, but I’m missing something. The sea, for example. And the desert. And Patagonia. And Antarctica. And Rapa Nui (Easter Island). And Juan Fernández (Robinson Crusoe Island). And the fertile Central Valley. And the lakes and volcanoes and rivers and hot springs and salt flats…

The Andes are an imposing, dominating feature of Chile, the backbone of this wonderful country, but they are balanced by the ever-present lapping of ocean waves to the west, the hot, dry, mysterious desert to the north, and the cold, wet wonders of Patagonia and Antarctica to the south. They frame this place we call home and define—in many ways—how we live within it.

And there’s the rub. How we live within it. Celebrating who and what we are. I can’t find the “we” in this poster. The national identity,  Chileanness, the Chilenidad. I’m missing the human element.  Is it implied in the ribbons, perhaps? They symbolize the fiesta intended to represent the unifying factor. But do they represent a Chilean fiesta? Or could this poster represent any other mountainous country?

I am the first to admit that I am not designer and that it is easy to critique and criticize the work that others have put so much effort into–not only this designer, but the entire team that chose this image–but I wish the human side were present.  I ask myself what might do the trick for me. As simple inclusion that would bring some humanness, some Chileanness into the image. And I come up with a kite. One of those typical Chilean flag kites flying over those mountains, with the colorful ribbons streaming down from it.

I’ve been thinking about this poster for a while, and would like to know what the rest of you think. Taking into consideration that the challenge was a big one, and that Chile’s diversity is one of its most wonderful gifts—and precisely what makes it so difficult to sum up in a clean, clear message, I turn it over to you. Does it accomplish the task of “celebrating what we are”?

September in Chile: Una Rica Empanada Caldúa

Who doesn’t love a good empanada?
Well, me, for one… as much as I hate to admit it.

But before all you empanada lovers come to their defense–I know they’re delicious! And it’s not that I don’t like them really as much as it is that the particular combination of ingredients, especially onions, just do me in.

Talkin’ Empanadas

To speak true Chilean, you must refer to these savory delights as “empanás” (because Chileans “eat” the d while waiting in line for fresh empana(d)as to come out of the oven). You get extra points if you dream about biting into a “rica empaná caldúa” (a delicious and very juicy empanada).

Viva Chile, Mierda! (It’s a good thing)

Yes, I know that Viva Chile, Mierda is an unlikely title for  a post about a country one loves, but it’s an expression that truly bears comment—especially since Chilean President Sebastián Piñera himself used it on camera recently when he announced that all 33 miners were alive and well 700 meters beneath the ground 17 days after the mine they are in collapsed.

A Chilean flag hangs from the remains of a house in Constitución destroyed by the tsunami that followed the February 2010 earthquake

I’ve heard this expression a zillion times, but have to confess that I never really thought much about it, and certainly did not understand it until these past couple of weeks…

Trompo: Give it a whirl!

Ever spun a top? A real one made of wood, wrapped in string, and thrown to make it spin? In Chile it’s called a “trompo” and is popular with men of all ages…and certainly not as easy as it looks!

A spinning "trompo" or top at a typical Chilean fonda

The  sense of Chilenidad—Chile’s national identity—the collection of all that makes up a spirit of being Chilean—is composed of many different aspects, one of which is games, and one of the oldest is the trompo, a simple wooden cone-shaped yet rounded toy with a metal tip that is thrown so that it spins upright. Once you get the basic tossing down, you start with tricks, such as picking it up to spin on the palm of your hand or even throwing it so that it lands—spinning—in your hand without ever having touched the ground.

September: the month of Chilenidad

September: the month of Chilenidad

Chilenidad. What a great word. It means “Chileanness,” and Chileans take it very seriously indeed. And September, the month of Independence Day on September 18 (also taken very seriously) AKA “El Dieciocho” and Fiestas Patrias (ditto) and especially this one, the 200^th 18^th, makes for some pretty good reasons to think just exactly what Chilenidad is all about.

A small Andean town deep in the Elqui Valley prepares for "18" with Chilean flag banners

Wikipedia (c’mon, admit it, we all use it!) says Chilenidad is:

Aromos mean SPRING!

Happy September! It’s Chile’s favorite month—for many reasons. Spring is on its way! The Independence Day holidays will soon be here and signs of Bicentennial Pride are already appearing, but perhaps best of all is the return of color!

Aromos bloom in early spring along Route 68, between Santiago and the coast.

Chile has a Mediterranean climate, which means a wonderfully long, hot, dry summer, but then we get the bill—3 or 4 months of drab, smoggy, rainy, and black- white-and-shades-of-gray winter. But get through August and everything changes (see Ya Pasamos Agosto)… and the first sign that winter is finally

On the Road…Home?

Feel like a stranger in the country you grew up in? A tourist in the motherland? Suffering the expat syndrome? The longer I live outside the US, the more things there are that take me by surprise when I return.

I try to get back to the US at least once or twice a year, and every time I land, I arrive disoriented. It takes a while to switch from my gringa-in-Chile self to the oddball self-appointed quasi-Latina member of the family in the US.

Delta Terminal at Atlanta Airport, June 2010

My first reaction is always the same: people speak English here! I always have at least one layover—usually in Atlanta—which means not only do people speak English, but they do it with a twang. As buenos días, and por favor, and gracias automatically roll off my tongue without thinking, I am always a little startled

Laurie Hermans in the Field: My Time in Chile

Laurie Hermans is no was an anthropology student from the Utrecht University in the Netherlands when she first contacted me nearly a year ago about coming to Chile. She was interested in doing research on animitas and had found a piece I wrote about them here in Cachando Chile (see: Animitas: Chile’s Popular Saints ).

Anthropologist Laurie Hermans researching animitas in Casablanca, Chile

She arrived in late January and we got together periodically to bounce ideas around, work up new leads, explore possible contacts, and just to have some fun once and a while… In fact, she was one of the participants in the great Cuasimodo hunt.