By Esteban Bedoya
The Canberra Critics’ Circle is pleased to
publish a reflection by novelist and short story writer Esteban Bedoya, the Chargé d'Affaires of Paraguay in Canberra, on the recent upsurge
of interest in the connections between Australian writers Mary Gilmore and
Henry Lawson and William Lane’s failed ‘Utopian’ experiment in Paraguay, the
subject of works reviewed by Circle members at www.citynews.com.au/2015/review-spellbinding-griffyns-do-it-again/
and http://ccc-canberracriticscircle.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/all-my-love-by-anne-brooksbank.html
Mr Bedoya's book of short stories, La fosa
de los osos (2003), has been translated into French as La fosse aux Ours (2005)
and the German as Der Bärengraben (2009). His novel Los malqueridos has also
been translated into French. His book, The Apocalypse according to
Benedict, received the 2010 PEN/Lily Tuck Award for Paraguayan Literature. His latest work, "La colección de oregas", was translated into French and Italian.
He is a member of the Paraguayan Society of Writers, the PEN Club del Paraguay, and the Society of Writers of Fribourg, Switzerland.
He is a member of the Paraguayan Society of Writers, the PEN Club del Paraguay, and the Society of Writers of Fribourg, Switzerland.
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First shipload of Australian immigrants left Sydney on the Royal
Tar in 1893
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IN the last two
months we have been to two outstanding performances dealing with the story of
the Australian colonists who settled in Paraguay at the end of the nineteenth
century. In November 2015 the Griffyn Ensemble staged the premiere of a themed recital, The Utopia Experiment, at the National Portrait Gallery.
directed by Michael Sollis. In February of
this year we saw All My Love, a play by Anne Brooksbank dramatising the close friendship
between two icons of Australian literature, Mary Gilmore and Henry Lawson. This
relationship was never to be consummated because Gilmore set her mind and heart
on pursuing her own personal Utopia by joining the band of Australians, led by
William Lane, who two years earlier, in 1893, had travelled to Paraguay to
establish two socialist colonies and begin a new life.
Lane and his followers arrived in a
far-away country that had recently endured the bloodiest conflict on South
American soil: The War of the Triple Alliance, pitting Paraguay against Brazil,
Argentina and Uruguay (1864-70). Paraguay had been considered the country with
the most promising future in the region, boasting a passenger railway, ship building
for international trade, the first iron foundry in the Southern Cone and an
extensive telegraph network. To support this infrastructure, hundreds of
European engineers, architects and technicians had been recruited, which
contributed to the development of an education system and a program of urban
modernization. Consequently, Paraguay was in the process of becoming the most
modern and self-reliant country in South America.
Tragically, Paraguay became the
victim of a bloodbath of epic proportions. Why? Historical documentation
suggests that the principal reasons were its legitimate claims to independence
and its pretensions to develop its own model of social and economic development.
Statements by top political and military leaders involved in the war against
Paraguay confirm their genocidal intent: "How much time, how many men, how
many lives and how many resources are needed to end the war, to turn the
Paraguayan population into smoke and dust, to kill even the fetuses in the wombs
of the women?"
"The war in
Paraguay concluded for the simple reason that we killed all Paraguayans over
the age of ten."
It is a sad memory, but it provides
the historical context for the arrival of the hardy Australians who reached
Paraguay. William Lane and his comrades found a country in ruins where the
surviving women and their children were incapable of raising a smile. But
Paraguay needed to be repopulated so the Australians received a warm welcome.
Lane, Cameron, Cadogan, Kennedy, Gilmore, Wood and the others were the founders
of the colonies of New Australia and Cosme, which in due course bequeathed
thousands of descendants —Australian and Paraguayan— as well as a rich cultural
legacy that belongs to both of our nations.
The expedition that set sail on The
Royal Tar on 17 July 1893 from Sydney Harbour provides a solid basis for
writing the history of Paraguay-Australian bilateral relations. In the words of
the historian Marisa González Oleaga, "They have left us a heritage of
dignity and pride. Nobody will ever again recreate the experience of New Australia,
but people will always envisage the possibility of new worlds beyond the
horizon." Many years have elapsed since that heroic enterprise, but Utopian
ideals continue to inspire men and women throughout the world striving to reach
the Light on the Hill.
Today, humanity is facing grave
humanitarian crises. Limited resources frustrate endeavours to ameliorate the
fate of people in embattled regions. We may draw inspiration from the pilgrims who
sailed in The Royal Tar, risking their lives in a quest of a "little
Utopia" in a distant land. It is significant that two works about this
extraordinary adventure should be staged in Australia at the same time. The
message conveyed by Gilmore, Lane and Lawson continues to resonate in the works
of talented contemporary Australian artists and writers who remember the
idealism and courage of their forebears. And by some mysterious telepathy, the
saga of these intrepid settlers has also inspired an Argentinian movie
director, Cristian Pauls, to tell their story. In collaboration with Paraguayan
partners, the movie is currently in production on the other side of the
Pacific.
This efflorescence of interest in
the shared history of Australia and Paraguay is not mere coincidence. It is an
urgent reminder that we should both work together to keep alive our historical
memory. Our artists, poets and writers are telling us that it is our joint
responsibility.