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I still have a soft spot for Latin America. We often idealize our youth and years of poverty. Those years shape us. To a large extent, Latin America shaped me. This is true for Ukrainian writers and human beings. My first Ukrainian book, Adventures, tells about my two years of living in poverty in Latin America, mainly in Mexico, Cuba and Nicaragua. My wife and I moved back to Mexico. Later, we named our son Emiliano in honor of Emiliano Zapata.
When I arrived in Latin America, I knew almost no Spanish. Except for the word “general strike,” because while I was working with Latin American construction workers in the U.S. to earn money for this trip, I joined the fight for immigrant workers’ rights. When I arrived in Mexico, I had to learn another sentence in Spanish besides “general strike”: “I’m from Ukraine. It’s true that it’s close to Russia, but no, no! It’s not part of Russia, it’s an independent country.” I laughed and said that people were already confused by the extent of Russia’s colonization of Ukraine.
Ukraine was poorer than Mexico at the time. It is still poorer than Argentina or Chile. Latin America reminded me a lot of Ukrainians. I felt at home. I knew how to be myself, which I never succeeded in the United States or Western Europe. I saw and continue to see many similarities in our history, the history of Eastern Europe and Latin America. Before going to Latin America and after returning from there, I participated in protests against authoritarianism in Ukraine, just as I did in Chiapas and Oaxaca.
After one of those protests, Russia annexed Crimea and parts of the Donbass under the pretext of “fighting Nazis”. It was as if the US had taken over Baja California and part of Chihuahua. Or as if Spain or Portugal decided to reconquer their former colonies. But unlike Spain and Portugal, Russia still has imperial ambitions in the 21st century. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this, because Russia is very good at playing the victim. They say it is fighting the West or NATO. But it is attacking its former colonies.
On February 24, 2024, I woke up to the sound of bombs. The apartment shook so hard that the vibrations went through my spine. Under the bombings, I took my two children, my wife and my dog and walked as far away as possible, but I returned so that the state could give me weapons. To make me less scared and less sad, I hummed revolutionary songs such as “El Pueblo Unidos” and “Comandante Che Guevara”.
I still firmly believe that it is because hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians returned to fight instead of running away that we did not collapse or fall. Ukraine did not engage in guerrilla warfare, but continued to fight for independence. Yes, we are tired. Almost sold out. We are an old colony. We may be weaker. But we continue to fight. It is the third year since the Empire invaded. It is the eleventh year since the first attack in 2014.
This is a post-colonial struggle. In Europe, in the 21st century. As far as I understand, my government calls more on the first world countries to help us. And that’s correct. But at the same time, for me personally, our struggle is more similar to the struggles of the countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Unfortunately, not everyone understands what we are talking about, because Russia is not “their” former empire.
I want to believe that most people still understand what Ukraine is. We are imperfect, just like you. We have a pretty strong kleptocracy, just like you.
But we want our own way. We make our own mistakes, yes. What’s important is that these mistakes are ours. We want to be as independent as possible from all empires and new empires, especially the Russian Empire, which is our neighbor and attacks us with weapons.
My little Emiliano and his brother have returned from a year as refugees in Western Europe. I see them more often now. In fact, right now my little Emiliano is probably sleeping in his crib in Kiev, with one leg hanging down, as he likes. Maybe the blanket has fallen off. Maybe his mom has seen him and covered him up.
I want you, my little Emiliano, to grow up so that no matter how revolutionary your name may be, you can choose what you want to do. If you want to go abroad, then you are not a refugee. If you want to stay in Ukraine, so that you are not afraid of a new career. If you want to fight for justice like Zapata, then you can choose how and when. If you want peaceful, calm human happiness, that is your absolute right.
Be happy, my little Emiliano. Happier than your mother and I. Now I am often unhappy because I have to leave you and your brother Justin, whom we also named after the fighter for justice, but he is already Ukrainian. My dream is that you two, Justino and Emiliano, can do whatever you want in life.
That’s why I, like thousands of other fathers and many mothers, must fight now.
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