Chilean writer Isabel Allende confirmed on Monday that the feminist struggle, a movement she described as ‘revolutionary’ and which has grown thanks to the impetus given to it by young women in recent years, cannot afford to shut anyone out.
“I don’t believe we can afford in this fight to tell those who want to participate that they are not being accepted, we are all welcome,” said the 78-year-old author at a press conference prior to her participation in the XVI. Hay Festival de Cartagena de Indias that starts next Thursday and will be virtual.
According to the author of “The House of Spirits” and “Long Petal of the Sea,” feminism is “like a post race” in which all involved go in the same direction and “pass the torch to each other.”
“I think the more people join this intense revolutionary movement, the feminist movement, the better. We can all be a part of it and if we can bring our children who have been raised by us and who have all the feminist concepts that they have. we teach, why don’t we accept them, why are they excluded, ”he reflected.
An “energetic” movement
Allende, who claims to be a feminist since she was five, believes the movement has been “boosted” by the “new wave of young girls,” as well as #MeToo, protests and organizations that have joined the cause. .
“That gives it tremendous power that speeds it up. With the communication media that we have today, with the interconnection that exists, this process can be made faster. Welcome everyone, let’s do it together,” he said.
In this sense, he said this is “a war against patriarchy,” although he qualified and assured that “it is a war that we are going to fight with joy, with laughter, in addition to all the anger we have inside. forces us to change everything ”.
Advice on the change in the US.
The writer, a US national, appreciated the change of government in that country and hopes that President Joe Biden’s tenure will be “a time to heal the terrible wounds this country has been bearing for the last, I would say, five years.” “
“A year before (former President Donald) Trump was elected, there was a whole campaign of hatred, division, this xenophobia, white supremacy and a hatred of the immigrant being exploited by the right. I believe Biden, if not, it offers the potential to heal this dark, toxic atmosphere in which we have lived for so long, “he said.
Allende is hopeful that this can be done, although he believes it should not be ignored that “nearly 80 million people voted for Trump” in last November’s election.
“These people haven’t gone anywhere, they’re here. So you have to see how all that frustration, the hatred that these people feel, is channeled in a more positive way. You have to put violence aside, start talking,” he assured. .
The problem of immigrants
The Chilean writer also referred to America’s two major migration crises, Central America and Venezuela, saying it is a very “unfair” and “painful” situation.
“People are not leaving their country because they want to leave, people are leaving their country because they are desperate and are looking for other places to go, where they hope to be welcomed and at least have a safe life, where they have no risk. walk No one gets it that way, ”he said.
As an example, he stated that when a group of migrants arrives in the United States, “they are always met with hostility,” but warned that “the second generation to join will become part of the country.”
“This is a country made of immigrants, the United States would not exist without the waves of immigrants. Venezuela was a country that welcomed masses of immigrants who came mainly from the southern cone of Latin America (…) I’m sorry. very much that now that they are in that situation, they are not getting the same reception as others. It is very unfair and I am very sorry, “he added.
In his participation in the Hay Festival in Cartagena de Indias, which is virtual due to the covid-19 pandemic, Allende talks Thursday with El País América director, Jan Martínez Ahrens, about his career, experiences and writing.