Dear readers and fellow bloggers:
Good morning. Today, October 12th, we remember the arrival of Cristoforo Colombo at the shores of a forgotten landing place somewhere in the Bahamas, after a long, arduous sea journey from the Puerto de Palos in Spain. This date is still officially celebrated as a holiday in almost all the countries of Latin America and still constitutes a federal holiday in the USA. However, the revisionist evaluation of the tragic consequences of the European colonization on the indigenous communities has rightfully shed new light on that terrible genocide and tainted its celebration. If you want to know more about it, you should read Las venas abiertas de América Latina from Eduardo Galeano.
As proud Italian-Americans, we consider this historical fact as seemingly the first time that a citizen of the Peninsula (Columbus was born in Genova) landed on the New Continent, heralding the massive emigration of our kindred. This day we would like to celebrate the historical trend that enabled, not the arrival of barbarians in America, but the possibility for millions of impoverished Italians, as well as other European nationalities, of accessing a better life. We must remember that the same absolutist monarchies that funded and promoted the subjugation of the natives in the Americas, were the very same ones that had exploited their subjects in the overcrowded cities and toiling fields.
Benvenuti a la Terra Promessa!
Note– The featured image was taken from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Landing_of_Columbus_(2).jpg
Stay distant. Stay safe. Stay beautiful.
What do you think? Please tell us.
Don’t leave me alone.