“European countries that seem more civilized have committed atrocities like France or Belgium”

If she waited until the dawn of the 2020s to put this story to paper, it's because this book is a crowd pleaser. “I never start from a blank page. In this case, I drew inspiration from three projects I had set aside: the one about my ancestors, the one about my father's infidelity, and the one about my polyamorous life.”It describes being inspired by his experience “An immigrant from a former Spanish colony, a diaspora still aware of the all-pervasive 'colonialism'”.

Gabriela Weiner's “Huago Portrait”: The Immigrant's Great-Granddaughter's Search for Identity

Gabriella Weiner has a commitment to the body — to the point of extremism. When he chose to work as a journalist and writer, he feels he could not have done so in his native Peru. “I went to Spain to get a master's degree, not feeling exploited, unsafe, working for the enemy, but not wanting to be an academic, otherwise I would have gone to America, She explains before stating, “I write against racism, colonialism, desire, the left, motherhood and love.” All subjects are found Portrait of Huaco.

Return of works

At the Musée des Civilizations et des Arts Premières du Quai Branly in Paris, her book begins by describing the problem she feels when her own reflection mixes with statues that look like her. What does Gabriela Weiner think of this kind of museum? “These are places where a kind of gaslighting (“manipulation”) took place in response to colonialism, while pure and severe genocide, the cultural destruction of indigenous peoples. Museums were used and the heritage of these. Plundered territories are displayed as part of the imperial treasury of conquest without any commentary or critical apparatus.

As for the fragments in them, should they be returned to the people to whom they belong? “Yes, of course, but it will take forever. European countries that seem to have the most civilization and culture have committed atrocities like France or Belgium.”

“Nobody ever called Charles Weiner 'Huaguro', only me.”Gabriella mentions Weiner, who is often asked about her last name but never thinks about changing it: “Write books to question it”That's enough for her, she tells us.

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Huaco, huaquero

“Huagoro, huagos, plunderer, stealer of native treasures. Throughout the book, there is a constant identification between the huaco and the protagonist, to highlight that the Other was considered subservient in the 19th century. This Other, savage, cannibal, monster, is still relevant today.” Gabriela Wiener recalls in her book that in 1958 Belgium was home to a human zoo! “I think so Portrait of Huaco Depicts various levels of inhumanity. The most extreme are undoubtedly these zoos. But this innocence continues today in South American women who clean European homes and care for the elderly..

In addition to the restoration of the works, when Gabriela Wiener was recommended to her, meanwhile, “Collections are contextualized and commented upon by descendants of plundered territories. The work of Peruvian Sandra Camarra (First South American artist chosen to represent Spain at the Venice Biennale, editor's note) Going in this direction, it calls the idea of ​​the museum into question.”

Gabriela Weiner posted on her WhatsApp profile: “Muero et vivo de scriber”. Descriptions of interested parties: “Because writing gives meaning to my life, but it's slowly killing me.”

Appointment

Cross-Views in Old Europe. Gabriela Weiner and Agos Verbosi (author of My Father's House) will talk about their search for family and identity. Saturday April 6, 1pm, Place de l'Irope.