HOW TO MAKE A TESTIMONIO SUCCESSFUL?

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Firstly, in order for the world to know about this testimonio, it is very important to reach the right audiences who
are interested and willing to take action against the problem. One common thing that both Ingrid Betancourt and
Rigoberta Menchu have are their involvement in the politics. Therefore, they already had some fame before their
books are published. Before her captivity, Betancourt was elected to the Chamber of Representatives in
Colombia in 1994, and formed her own party, the Green Oxygen Party where she became the senator in 1998.
On the other hand, Menchu was very active in the local rebel organization, the Committee of the Peasant Union.
Secondly, authors of testimonio must look at whether their works are being read or heard by the right audiences.
For example, Betancourt’s testimonio has been successful among international audiences in Europe and US,
because it has been translated into multiple languages such as English and French. It is also available as audio-
books and e-books in Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.
Thirdly, the narrative in the testimonio should avoid adding mythical elements into the real accounts and make it
seem like a fiction. The narrator should not appear like a hero who always know exactly what to do. To make the
testimonio more realistic, authors must demonstrate human qualities in themselves and have a balance of
positive and negative character traits, so that readers can imagine themselves in the situation. This way, readers
are able to identity with the protagonist and have sympathy towards him/her.
Lastly, the narrator should present the injustice within the testimonio as potentially avoidable, so that readers will
not believe that the problem is impossible to end and get intimidated to act against the problem. Instead, they will
develop the courage to take action against the problem presented.
Source: https://testimoniofinalproject.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/how-to-make-a-testimonio-successful/