“The Gaitanist (Gaitanists were supporters of left-wing populist politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán) Tribe,” a Colombian political cartoon from 1948 showing a horde of gigantic, stereotypically-depicted Gaitanist Negroes knifing a helpless White man, presumably to cannibalize him.
Owing to his dark skin, Gaitán (image 1) was nicknamed "El Negro" by many of his conservative political opponents, most notably Laureano Gómez (image 2), who was the leader of the hardline wing of Colombia's Conservative Party.
From 1932 onward, and in large part thanks to the aggressive attack campaign waged by the ardently conservative newspaper El Siglo (the same newspaper which published this cartoon), “little by little the name 'El Negro Gaitán' gained ground in the cafes and salons of Bogotá.”
Most LatAm societies are divided into racial cliques. Every so often, Mestizos, Mulattos, and Amerindians rebel against the upper class of Castizos and Whites. The class struggle there has a strong racial component, making “smash the bourgeoisie” the same as “smash whitey.”
That cartoon is from the turbulent days of 1948 that led to Gaitan's assassination—when he, with his populist rhetoric and program, led an uncontrollable wave of followers whose public aggression (which he actively encouraged with his rabble-rousing oratory) grew with each day.
In response to this situation, his conservative opponents, as representatives of the whiter upper-classes, launched a (completely understandably so, obviously) virulent attack campaign against Gaitán with more than obvious racial and class overtones.
I unfortunately don't have the kino cartoons from El Siglo described here at my disposal (aside from the Gaitanist tribe one).
But, as compensation, here's a cartoon from the same “Donald” titled “Restauration of Savagery” showing the Gaitanist rabble (led by a caveman and composed by monkeys) stoning civilization.
@My_Constituents
@My_Constituents Forgot to mention that the textual screenshots come from The Assassination of Gaitán: Public Life and Urban Violence in Colombia (2003).
@My_Constituents More gems about the conservative attack campaign.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.