When death the liberty, considerations about the Gaitanʹs death.

By: Juan David Díaz Paniagua and

“I am not a man, I am a people”.

Before to start with some events in the Bogotazo i like to emphasize in two
different facts which happened in the same historical process, in first place, there
was a murder, an assassination (with every implications what have this word) and,
in the second place (before and after to murder) there was a revolutionary
movement who liked to change the order of Bogotá , with the purpose to establish
the communism ( ideology opposed to the nineth conference which was a
norteamerican organization, that organization had in theirs topics to analyze the
influence of communism in Latin America) against the actual conservative
government of Ospina, that is to say that, the disorders of 4 th April 1948 was not
directly generated by Gaitanʹs death, because the Bogotazo was a violent reaction
of people, led for different forces and different purposes and those people were not
only showing the pain for Gaitan, the riot was not consistent, logical, with the ideas
of Gaitan, it is evident when we see the contradictory actions of the people.

For to show that, I am going to divide the text in three parts, first I hope to show
some facts in which it make evident the contradiction between the murder of
Gaitan and the reaction of people, second I think to describe some political ideas of
Gaitan what cannot be inscribe or equalize for another type of ideologies (like the
communism or the liberalism) finally, I would like to write some consequences of
those facts, showing that the major consequence is not the death of Gaitan, mas
bien the death of Colombian emancipatory project.

The first action that shows the contradiction between the rebellion and the murder
of Gaitan was the murder of Juan Roa, Juan Roa was the murderer of Gaitan,
obviously Roa was a fundamental piece for to discover the intellectual author of
Gaitan, that is to say, the true gulity, but the people did not understand that reason,
also Juan Roa Was murderer, tortured for the crazed mod, that fact made
impossible to clarify who was behind of Gaitan.

However, it seems to be that the first action could be a reaction against the
murderer of Gaitan, and it is probably that the death of Juan Roa Could be
consistent with the reaction of people (actually, for example, we see how many
people hit the robbers when they are discovered, it is the same historical
phenomenon) but the second action was not exactly a reaction result of the rage,
or pain; because the people following the communists and the other influences,
(like the radio) which incite to violence, the radio (with some communists) put the
people more furious than without guidance or direction.

Another action was the destruction of the principal newspapers what aided to
Gaitan, in contrast it is interesting to see how the newspapers (like El Espectador
and El Tiempo) which was against Gaitan, was not destroyed, it seems to be that in
the rebellion there was other type of people, those people liked to take advantage
of the situation for impose their ideas, it is more evident when we know that Fidel
Castro (in that period a student in Colombia, but with communism ideas) was
present in the riot, but with that I do not say that Fidel Castro was intellectual
author of the Gaitanʹs death, I only say that Castro shows the presence of different
ideologies in that riot.

II

Why the people did do that? Because the people was not led only for the pain, here
there were other influences, and for those reasons the Bogotazo and the murder of
Gaitan were not the same fact, the people did not only destroy Gaitanʹs allied, also
the people destroyed a lots of catholic buildings and specially the principal church
of Bogotá and with sexual violations to nuns and religious, but Gaitan (in his life)
was not against the church (but neither the contrary position) if was it, hence, why
the people did attack the catholic church? The influence of Catholic Church was
unknowing for the Colombian people, but no for the communists, and high class.

In the another place, the principal inconsistency with the Bogotazo and the murder
of Gaitan is that Gaitan never looked for the war like a way for to get the “big
Colombian dream” Gaitan Thought that was possible the peace if the high class did
not sink the poor class, Gaitan did not like to impel a special faction (conservatism,
liberalism or communism) he liked that rich and poor could live the same rights
and obligations with the country.

It is necessary to understand that Gaitan had thought a supra ideology which was
not covered for others ideologies, it is clear that Gaitan was with poor people, but
never like liberal, Gaitan discovered a new form to make political actions, when
Gaitan shouted in the principal parks he did not shout like a liberal lawyer, he
shouted like a human being, and better, like a people, According with Gaitan the
people are superior to whatever ideology for that Gaitan was against the high class for
love to Colombian people in the same mode that Camilo Torres.

While the people made the war in the streets and in principal places in Bogotá , the
body of Gaitan was alone in a near hospital, without his race also we can see that
the Colombians had forgotten the true reason of riot, that phenomenon is in our
days, when the people are focused in other things less important than the
Colombian reality.

III

But if we saw some contradictions in the murder of Gaitan with his ideas, there are
more contradictions in the consequences of his death, if Gaitan never was agree
with the war, Why his death brought bad organizations like the guerrillas? The
guerrillas was fighting for the poor people, but with “the only way in Latin-
America1” the weapons, all this movements arose after to Gaitanʹs death like a form
to fight against the high class.

But also the capitalism in Colombian in anachronic situation, spoilt the situation,
because there was more poor people and less rich people what made bigger
distinction between high and fall class, the people thought that the capitalism was
the solution, but Also we duty to consider that no only the capitalism made
possible the development of the societies, that progress has been considered
recently as one recoil ,that is to say that the named development is creating
progress although is generating decadence in the human nature, the humans do
not distinguish when is moving and when is backing.
1
According Fidel Castro.
Camilo Torres said that if he died, for that reason could not estingish the
revolution, but when he died also died the revolution, in the same form happened
with Gaitan, when Gaitan died, did not die a man, died a symbol, an ideal, an
emancipatory project which was not opportune for high class of Colombia.