…A literary journey through Ivan Uriel’s works
A Mexican writer, Iván Uriel created a platform he called “Miradas” with which he reviews art works and literary endeavours. The recent one he did was dubbed the”Apology of the Encounter.”
With Miradas, he has been able to give critical analysis of field material that describes, summarizes, and critiques the ideas presented. He has successfully broaden knowledge comparing two countries of Mexico and Nigeria
“Miradas” is a literary journey, in which he explores ten figures from Nigerian literature and ten figures from Mexican literature. It mirrors reflection of emotions, illusions, thoughts, social criticism, the observation of reality, and the creation of an alternate reality. The journey is rooted in the origin, the worldview of indigenous peoples, and the search for identity through poetry, narrative, and essay.
Uriel, using poetic words, expressed his thought and emotion, transcending human senses to unite humanity. The first, he described as “Days of Breath” in the literary journey. He takes readers through the novels that make up the trilogy “Apology of the Encounter,” which addresses human relationships from the perspective of universal migration, reflecting the intensely beating heart not only in separation but also in feeling that distance through messages of affection that resonate in the heart and its beat. “It conveys the message not to delay hugs, not to delay saying “I love you,” saying “I care about you.” This is the message that fills us from the heart to embrace the arts, which in some way have supported us during difficult times,” he enthused.
The “Apology of the Encounter” consists of three novels: “The Furrow,” “The Ítamo,” and “The Wall.” About the first novel, Auriel wrote: “The north is a place far away, and as we shared through letters, we found each other in ‘The Furrow’ of life. At this moment, from so many places, from all over the world, we try to listen to each other, feel each other through the distance, but also embrace that heart that is shared, not only from the feeling and the farewell but with the illusion, the hope of the encounter.” That is the meaning of The Furrow.
The second novel, “The Ítamo,” is a novel that presents the migration experience of the author. His family was in such an uncertain situation and he grew to tell the story. He found in literature a space to create an alternate reality. Years later, while studying at university and with his father back, he decided to follow in the father’s footsteps, tracing his paths, the novel, “The Ítamo” was created. The novel addresses different stories of women and men who, from various parts of the world, travel to a place where they share their history, their past, present, and future, through different testimonies.
In reality, ‘The Ítamo’ is a journey inward, to see oneself reflected in the other, from the vantage position of having one person reflected in the heart, in the gaze, in the feeling of others, to find a point of encounter in solidarity and empathy.
It’s a revelation of different worldviews of people’s customs, traditions, and especially approaches to life, death, hope, and love. Another theme of migration explored in the novel is universal, the search undertaken to find something that brings happiness, fulfillment and the possibility of finding hope.
Auriel revealed further, saying, “just as literature was very important to me as a child, to open a new opportunity, a new alternative to reality itself, “The Ítamo” was fundamental because I have always said that literature and the arts heal. Just when I was writing “The Furrow,” which were different stories, one of those stories was filled with various reflections on life, death, and hope and it happened at a very difficult time for the family, when my father and mother became migrants without space or time. Both left this life for another where we will surely meet again, and it was at that moment, upon their departure, that all the pain, all the uncertainty, all the depression that inhabited me, dissolved into the letters, and I found that literature heals. That’s how “The Ítamo” was written.”
Auriel concluded the trilogy “Apology of the Encounter” with the novel, “The Wall.” It’s a novel that tells the story of a relationship between a mother and a daughter who are, in some way, representatives of different generations, but also representatives of different ways of seeing life itself. Through their dialogue, through the way they connect from the heart, we inhabit the causes and consequences of migration, but above all, the love itself, the hope that beats in those bridges that allow human beings to unite, in those bridges that allow man to tear down the walls that separate, to tear down the walls seen as borders and open ourselves up to meet each other from love and find hope from our feelings. That is exactly the essence of the wall and the essence of the novel.
In “The Wall,” the call is to break all the barriers that exist, to also break all those constructions we put between ourselves to not see each other as one. The call is to see each other, find each other in the other, embrace each other from solidarity, embrace each other from the reflection that “The Wall” invites us to. Where we can reflect that migration is the construction of a new language, the construction of new cultures and that through the wall we can find not only what shapes us but also the hope of having bridges that unite us through the reflection of love and that heart that beats despite the distance, from the very closeness of its beat and breath.
The three novels revealed much about grief, separation, not only the one we suffer from the death or separation of loved ones, from that love that is configured and found everywhere, but also from memory, from that hope that keeps us alive with the heartbeat that the Ítamo gives us to find not only that plant that heals everything but also that possibility I mentioned of finding happiness and fulfillment.
For instance, it is from the “Cardinal Points,” we have the poem below. It is a poem that has accompanied me at different events, it is an invitation to together achieve not only an individual’s dreams but to move forward and sustain togetherness.
Aside from Ivan Uriel, Attanacio Medellin, Professor Wole Soyinka and Octavio Paz, both amazing writers and recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature are the focus in this edition.
While Soyinka’s name entered the ‘Nobel Prize’ hall of fame in 1986, Paz also became a recipient in 1990.
Nigerian and Mexican literature in the word of a diplomat par excellence and advocate of cultural exchange, His Excellency, Alfredo Miranda, the Ambassador of Mexico in Nigeria represents the countries different realities and cultures.
Miranda’s emphasis has always been that aside economic, bilateral and diplomatic fusion, both countries he believed can also deepen relationships in the area of literature.
Soyinka and Paz by his estimation are one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century.
No doubt, both writers’ work transcends space and time.
Soyinka poetry and the depth of his work for instance, explore the worldview of indigenous peoples and their identity, thus opening universal perspectives on humanity, its circumstances, and its cultural heritage.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Soyinka’s work has been fundamental, both in academia and in the interpretive and spiritual power that fills each of his verses.
Throughout his career in the universities such as Ibadan, Leeds, and London, Soyinka has left an indelible mark.
His poetry, often written in adversity, is an active protest seeking justice and constant awareness. In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Prize, becoming the first Nigerian and African writer to receive the honor. His work, imbued with a vast cultural perspective and poetic resonances, continues to promote understanding, dialogue, and comprehension among cultures.
On the other hand, Octavio Paz, one of the most important Mexican writers of the 20th century, built through his poetry and essays a deep reflection on the identity and history of Mexico.
From his youth in the 1930s to his consolidation in the 1950s, Paz created works such as The Labyrinth of Solitude, which has become an icon of world literature. His poetry, such as The Bow and the Lyre and Sunstone, cemented his international impact, leading him to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990.
Paz was a proponent of exploring Mexican identity and culture, generating reflections and debates about origins and Latin American culture. His work continues to be a beacon in world literature, rich in intellectuality and humanism.
Myth, spirituality, and the search for origin are elements that unite the poetry of Soyinka and Paz, as well as their profound respect for the traditions and worldviews of their peoples. Both writers promoted culture through literary magazines, theatrical works, and audiovisual programs, fostering cultural dialogue worldwide.
Thus, like the globe, the embassy of Mexico in Nigeria celebrates the meeting between Wole Soyinka and Octavio Paz, two Nobel Prize winners whose poetry transcends borders and eras.
Soyinka believes we should read poetry for the pleasure of reading itself, without the need to make it a tool for teaching, but rather enjoying it for its essence.
In the next edition, we will discuss the work of Molara Ogundipe and Rosario Castellanos. Mexican writer Iván Uriel thanked the Embassy of Mexico in Nigeria for sharing the video and materials on their various platforms.
Source: Mexico Embassy in Nigeria
