To commemorate Colombian Independence Day and the centenary of José Eustasio Rivera’s novel ‘ La Vorágine’ , the Anglo-Colombian Society (ACS) is hosting a talk titled ‘The Vortex: 100 Years of a Latin American Classic on the Amazon Rubber Boom’. The event will take place on Thursday 11th July at 6:30pm at the Colombian Consulate, 35 Portland Place, London W1B 1AE. Dr. Erna von der Walde will be in conversation with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera and Juan Toledo discussing this literary milestone and exploring the fascinating history of the rubber boom and its devastating impact on the region’s environment and indigenous populations. In this link you can find a PDF copy of the novel and other publications curated by ‘Biblioteca Nacional’ about ‘The Vortex’ (La Vorágine)
Exposición: Cien años de vorágines (bibliotecanacional.gov.co) Schedule: Thursday 11th July 2024 Colombian Consulate General, 35 Portand Place, London W1B 1AE 6:00pm – Doors open 6 :30pm – Talk starts 7 :15 pm – Q & A session 7 :30pm -8:30pm – Networking reception.
‘The Vortex’, a Latin American classic published a century ago, offers a journey into the horros of rubber extraction in the Amazon. This novel is a journey into the heart of the world’s most biodiverse jungle, vividly capturing the perspectives of individuals ensnared in the relentless cycle of commodity exploitation, skilfully illustrating both the awe-inspiring beauty and the inherent dangers of the rainforest.
In this conversation we will discuss issues relating to commodity extraction, frontier zones, geographical imaginations, indigenous peoples, and broadly how Latin American culture addresses the momentous social and territorial transformations populations experience in the extractive zones.
Picture by the indigenous artist Aimena Uai of the Muruy Muina ancestral population located in the Colombian Amazon.
About the speakers:
Erna von der Walde is an essayist, translator, and independent researcher specialising in Colombian and Latin American literature, art, culture, and politics. She has co-edited, with Margarita Serje, a new edition of La Vorágine (The Vortex) by José Eustasio Rivera. This edition includes maps and a dossier of texts about the Orinoco and Amazon regions, highlighting the impacts of colonisation and extractivism in the area. As part of the activities commemorating the 100th anniversary of this Latin American classic, she co-curated an exhibition in Bogotá,sponsored by the Colombian Ministry of Culture and the National Library of Colombia, dealing with ‘La Vorágine’ and the impact of rubber extraction in the Amazon.
Oscar Guardiola-Rivera is a distinguished philosopher, author, and academic recognised for his contributions to the University of London and his influential publications on Latin America. His exceptional work as a knowledge generator and researcher prominently features Colombian culture, history, and contemporary issues within his academic agenda. Oscar is a senior lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London, where he teaches Law, Political Philosophy, and Human Rights. He is also a Fellow of the RSA. His critically acclaimed books include “What If Latin America Ruled the World?” (Bloomsbury, 2010), which won the Frantz Fanon Award, and “Story of a Death Foretold” (Bloomsbury, 2013), which was shortlisted for the 2014 Bread & Roses Award. 
Juan Toledo is a translator, podcaster, editor and teacher. Born in Colombia, he studied chemistry at the National University and then literature and philosophy at Birkbeck College and University College London, where he also completed a master’s degree in translation and Hispanic studies. He worked as a Touring Officer in the Drama and Dance department and later as a Cultural Manager in the Arts Division of the British Council. He edited one of the first Spanish-language newspapers in Britain, Crónica Latina, and later became director of an independent radio station in Brixton. He is currently editor and co-host of two ZTR Radio podcasts, Artefacto and The Programme, and edits the bilingual digital cultural magazine Perro Negro. He published his first collection of poetry ‘Ocurrencias y recurrencias’ in 2022