I think there are three main point we need to answer this questions: The image of the government of the bicentenary, the image of the media of the bicentenary and who is left out in this vision of the bicentenary year.
It’s common to think that the government vision is something like the “official discourse”. Something like if they were the truth itself. They do official ceremonies and remember the “historical heroes of the nation” like Bernardo O’Higgins or Arturo Prat. They try to transform this people on gods. Statues, monuments, streets with their names, etc. They build an image of this people like their were superheroes. For me they are just people with a lot of power like O’Higgins. Who wants the independence of Chile just for having more power. He wants to build just another colony. Or people like Prat that for me is a simple soldier who fights against our friendly nations.
Now the media do something similar. They show us TV. shows of the “heroes of the nation” and they contribute to make this false image of “heroes”. On the news this year for example. They just remember this few people that for me isn’t the most important one, like I said, they were just people with power or simple soldiers. For they aren’t the “heroes” they just reproduce this idea of colonialism and imperialism.
I think that with this vision of the “official heroes” a lot of people is left out. For example the mapuche people. I mean media or government mention them, but the heroes that are on TV shows or government ceremonies aren’t the mapuche people.
I think we have to be very careful with the images that the government and the media show to us. I mean we don’t have to believe all what they said. There’s not a “real chilean” or something like “heroes”. I think all the people of this country are heroes. The simple Chilean is equally or more important than Prat or O’Higgins. We are all part of the construction of this nation called Chile.
