Liberate the Mind will publish a weekly photo collage of a specific country, describing its people and the way of living. Every week we will ask an upcoming photographer to select a handful of photographs and tell something about them. This week: Mexico!
Mexico. We could say “Mexico”, but in reality, there is not only one. There are Mexicos in Mexico. Despite of the problems and difficulties, we have the Mexico made out of smiles, theMexico that makes you forget the crisis, the Mexico that makes you look at it even more beautiful thanks to the smiles of its children. We have the Mexico that every morning becomes the witness of its working people, the same people who get the fruits to feed their families. We have the lakes that witness the colors, the labor, the beauty of Mexico. We have the Mexico that keeps its history, where the skies know about its beauty, the Mexico that establishes its powerful and proud flag over the buildings in contrast with the Mexican Sun. There is the Mexico that makes music out of its colors, and its mariachis make the foreign countries vibe, where musicians create magic from a street which is illuminated by the Sun to a boat in the middle of the ocean. Our dear and photogenic Mexico, you are not one, you are each of us.
This young photographer wants to tell stories about his country, but not one limited to a stereotyped image of Mexico, but the result of a constant evolution fulfilled by shades and tones. Bruno Gomez De la Cueva is surely a great talent that will put the name of his nation up high due to his talent that speaks for itself.
This post is tagged Mexico
wow
BEAUTIFUL!!! This is our Mexico.
Great compilation! Just keep gettin better and better man!!
It makes me proud to see this talent in Mexico… thanks for sharing your art!
muy buenas en especial la No15.
I have to say that as a Mexican, I always feel offended with this type of cheap nationalism.
Yes the pictures are good, and yes Mexico has amazing natural wonders and a diverse cultural heritage. But these elements DO NOT excuse Mexicans from acting and solving their problems. Justifying that our “beautiful Mexico” makes you forget the crisis, and that the “smile of our children” makes you see life differently is an insult to the intelligence of every Mexican.
This type of thinking only promotes the deep slumber in which the Mexican society has been trapped for years. Thinking this way only leads to conformity and to a sad nationalism that does not create social cohesion in this troubled country.
You want to talk about “the many Mexicos”? try the following:
a)The Mexico where leaving your house can be seen as a life or death risk.
b)The Mexico where the smile of a children born into a poor environment kills every possible hopesince he or shet will have no chance to receive a good education and will be condemned to repeat the poverty cycle due to the lack of social mobility and fair distribution of wealth?
c)The Mexico where the word “indian” is used as an insult, while we preach to the world of how proud we are of our prehispanic heritage.
d)The Mexico where the streets are done in the most mediocre way only to ensure future employment because they will have to deteriorate quickly and the government will employ underskilled workers to fix them
e)The Mexico that is proud of its natural hertiage yet destroys every single part of its unique ecosystem, if you think I am exaggerating, then take a look at deforestation, turtle populations, the Vaquita de Mar, and Coral Reefs just to name a few of the wonders that we have destroyed.
f)The Mexico where politicians blatantly steal the public funds, and we only celebrate it by creating popular phrases that are taken as mantras for life: “El que no tranza no avanza”
g)The Mexico where education and health care are used as platforms for making a small sector of the population richer than the Queen of England.
h)The Mexico that has one of the richest men in the Planet, while more than 60% of its population is living below the poverty line.
I do not need to continue with more scenarios, the list will honestly be endless.
As a Mexican I feel ashamed of my country and my society every time we use the ‘glory of our culture’ and warmth of our people (otherwise known as submissive attitude inherited form the whip of colonial times) to justify or ignore the deep cracks in our foundations, and the imminent crisis that nobody recognizes, and threatens the already fragile pseudo stability of the nation.
These attitudes only perpetuate the blindness that we have been suffering for centuries, and I do not care if anyone gets offended, if you’re not Mexican, you won’t understand, and if you are and you are shocked by this, then take a look at your country, without the blindfold installed by ridiculous discourse of a fake nationalism, and see if you do not see how bad the reality is. Change is possible, but first we must recognize how badly we need to transform our way of thinking and our way of living within the Mexican society.
Basta ya de discursos instaurados por comerciales Bimbo y campanas mal hechas de Televisa, abramos los ojos, y BASTA DE ROMANTICISMOS!!!!!!!
PS.
My problem IS NOT with the photographs or the idea of having country profiles in Liberate the Mind, my problem is with what was written as an introduction to the photographs!!!!!
I strongly agree with Jose over here. We are just trying to block the sun with our fingers, trying to get past all of those things that surround us. We cannot deny the magnificence of our dear Mexico, but with that same logical mind, we must accept reality and face the facts: we are taking other countries advice and strategies, in a mindless effort from our politicians to “make things better”.
I say we shouldnt copy those strategies. We must take them and apply them in our own cultural context and between our deepest needs. Laughing children can make you happy for an instant. Giving them actual hope of surviving, can make you happy for a life.
Solo los mexicanos podemos opinar de lo que es vivir y amar a México, todos los países tenemos defectos y virtudes.
Nos sentimos orgullosos de nuestro país. Y la crisis, que es mundial, no solo en México, no nos impide ser felices, solo nos exige más esfuerzo.
Mil Felicidades Bruno, excelentes fotos y muy buena presentación de lo que tú amas de tu País.
Orgullosamente Mexicanos.
As a Mexican, I love my beautiful Mexico to death, but it also kills me to see the distressing state of its people, culture and natural and urban landscapes.
I agree with every point made two posts before me. It really is sickening to hide behind an utopic flag of what Mexico should and could be. If only…
Zab.
Yo soy mexicano y vivo en México, así que tengo todo el derecho de opinar con lo que respecta a mi país.
El hecho de que haga un comentario como el anterior no niega que no me sienta orgulloso de ser mexicano, sino que me cansa y me fatiga el mismo discurso nacionalista de hace 30 años. Las fotografías son buenas y muestran rostros de México que deben salir a los ojos del mundo, pero estoy en total desacuerdo con la idea de que apoyar a México y sentirse orgullosos de él sea lo mismo a crear una idea romántica y utópica de una realidad que a mi juicio, NO existe en el país.
Creo que como mexicanos necesitamos tener más responsabilidad y madurez a la hora de hablar de nuestro país, y entender que orgullo y aprecio por la patria, no son sinónimos de nacionalismo cegador, y que el hecho que tengamos música increíble, comida deliciosa, pirámides ancestrales, maravillas naturales y una cultura cálida con los extranjeros no opaca ni justifica el mar de problemas que inundan a nuestro país cada día.
Si a alguien de verdad le importa su país y lo ama, pues el primer paso es admitir y enfrentar que tiene MILES de problemas que necesitan atención urgente, no necesitamos sermones elevadores llenos de palabras vacías, necesitamos actuar, cambiar nuestra consciencia y desarrollar un espíritu de participación ciudadana, y estos elementos jamás existirán mientras haya discursos propagandistas sin sentido, coherencia ni validez.
Estoy de acuerdo que no se debe continuar con ese idealismo de que México es un país rico, con mucho potencial… sin que al final haya resultados. De nada sirve que digamos que podríamos ser mucho o que tenemos todo para estar mejor, si nos perdemos en algún punto entre el idealismo y el éxito para terminar en la mediocridad.
Pero si este México no es lo que se muestra, ¿entonces cuál? ¿El de la gente agachada abajo de sus coches para no ser víctima del fuego cruzado? ¿Una foto de la Gordillo siendo indiferente a que nos destruye la educación? ¿los excesos de pocos o lo que le falta a muchos?
No necesitamos fotos de la realidad porque la estamos viviendo, tal vez esto sirva no sólo para fomentar el turismo, que ahora buena falta nos hace, sino para que nos acordemos que había un país diferente en el que se vive ahora.
Y la crisis que vive México va mucho más de la financiera que azota al mundo, la nuestra nos está arrancando nuestras raíces, nos roba la seguridad, hace que nos acostumbremos a vivir en miedo.
Si el atentado de Morelia no logró despertar al mexicano, ¿qué lo hará?
Estoy de acuerdo con lo que dices Gabriel, y es necesario mostrar, (mediante fotos y otros medios) que México es mucho más que lo que se dice en las noticias o de lo que se tiene como concepción cuando no eres Mexicano.
Sin embargo, jamás despertará el pueblo mexicano mientras Discursos idealistas sean promovidos.
Hay una gran diferencia entre las fotos y lo que se escribió en el artículo, y en esa diferencia es en donde creo que radica el principal problema con este artículo.
Celebrar lo bueno es necesario, idealizar el país pese a sus problemas es un vicio en el cual todos los mexicanos hemos caído, y debemos de salir de él.
Dear all,
Would you please be so kind and write your posts in English, so other non-Spanish speakers can enjoy your views and comment on them.
Thanks!
awesome!!! ur pictures r … wooow! and u right.. “we have the Mexico made out of smiles” congratulations Bruno, and good luck!
Great pictures! keep up your good job Bruno, that’s really some talent you have
Te felicito Bruno, que mejor muestra de un buen trabajo que despertar tantas emociones en un un expectador… de eso se trata el arte, no todos debemos de estar en acuerdo o desacuerdo
con un tema, no creen??