With all eyes on the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, it can be easy to overlook the injustices affecting the rest of the world, like Latin America. From the heavily contested election in Venezuela where Nicolas Maduro has laid claim to victory without releasing results, to the dictatorship in Nicaragua where Daniel Ortega and his wife are persecuting Christians for belief in Jesus, the fight for freedom and independence continues across the continent.
Despite these injustices, this past week has seen the Latin American diaspora in Australia celebrate what I like to call “Independence season.” This season commemorates the triumph of the Spanish American wars of Independence that took place between September 1809 and 1833—save for Puerto Rico and Cuba.
My parents are from Chile and El Salvador, countries liberated respectively on the 18th and 15th of September. I remember “independence season” being the only time we could get Mani confitado—a crunchy, caramel peanut—chorizo, empanadas and other delicacies. A huge park would be reserved where the organisers would prop up tents, create dancefloors from pieces of wood and sell locally grown pisco and wine.
Over the years as the community grew the event became much bigger, eventually needing to hire a racecourse to fit everyone coming. Despite the celebrations and the joy everyone felt, I can now see how for my parents, it was also marred with a sense of nostalgia for a life that could have been, had there been no turmoil. Almost like the loss of one’s first love.
My mother had lived under the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile and my father through the civil war in El Salvador, prompting both their families to seek refuge in Australia.
Over the years they would relay stories of how people had to line up for rations, life under curfews, and how bodies would be left by the roadside for the military to dispose of. A situation difficult to comprehend or even appreciate in the safe arms of Australia. However, they instilled a deep sense of gratitude for what I had been given here and the freedom and independence they had come to find.
It cemented within me the belief that without struggling for freedom and the independence to choose what is right and good, one becomes a slave. God himself, the creator of everything, willingly gave human beings free will, to the point of his death, knowing and showing that without it, we can never be truly free. Truly free to love, to do good and to live what he has set out for each person. How could a person feel entitled to take this away?
Even though Chile and El Salvador may now be prospering, the cycle of dominance and power-hungry individuals have infiltrated other countries, prompting many to seek and find here what my parents did 40 years ago.
Latin American arrivals have grown exponentially in the past six years, especially Catholic Colombians. According to the 2021 census Catholic Colombians made up 62.2 per cent of all Colombian arrivals, renewing the Catholic landscape, especially in Sydney and Melbourne. The Council on Australia Latin America Relations (Coalar) reported that 35.3 percent live in NSW and 28.2 per cent in Victoria.
There are many reasons for these movements, but corruption, violence and lack of freedom are the strongest motivators. In 2022, Central America and the Caribbean were global hotspots for murder rates of up to more than nine times the global average. Thankfully, El Salvador, at one point the country with the most homicides per capita, has since dropped out of the top 20. This is largely thanks to the leadership of Nayib Bukele, who incarcerated the gang members causing the fear and unrest.
Once the most dangerous country on earth, El Salvador has become a sign of hope. Through strength and patriotism, Bukele has proven himself to be a modern-day Simon Bolivar, the “father” of liberation during the Spanish American wars in South America, as countries like Brazil, Honduras and Guatemala look to follow his lead.
As the Latin American population continues to grow, it may be good to ask ourselves how we as a church can help this community. Churches have been helping the Ukrainians, Palestinians and Jews, why not add to the list? When the next “Independence season” comes around, I encourage you to look beyond the festivities and consider the deeper meaning behind the celebrations. Take a moment to reflect on the blessings we enjoy in Australia, showing the world what it means to be free and Independent.