San Martín and Bolívar played by women? This is “Libertadorxs”, the work that recreates the Guayaquil meeting

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1943, Riding studied in England and since then became interested in Latin American history. The Guayaquil meeting, of course, was one of the episodes that most captivated him, which is why he accumulated large amounts of information. “I was fascinated by the mystery, essentially –Riding tells El Comercio–. What could have been the chemistry between these two men, what produced the result. Only 50 years after beginning my research was I able to sit down and write it as a play, with the dream that one day it would be staged.”

About the process of build the hypothetical dialogue between the Argentine liberator and the VenezuelanRiding explains: “I tried to be faithful to what was known. There are letters from San Martín about it, also letters from Bolívar, [Tomás] Guido wrote a lot, and several other personalities too. There are many historical and military elements that serve as a reference… And above all there is the eternal debate about whether what defined everything was the dignity of San Martín, who stepped aside in the process, or if it was simply Bolívar who dominated the situation, because it had greater military strength at that time”.

A discussion that, after two centuries between enigmas and speculations, continues to be paradigmatic of the Latin American reality. “For me What is relevant about this is that it is a debate that has not ended. 200 years ago these two people had this discussion, but in other parts of Latin America there have been similar discussions, about how to make our countries work. Some are better, others worse, but unfortunately it is difficult to find an ideal political model, whether more democratic or more functional.”, warns the journalist turned playwright.

Fact and fiction

Curiously, when Riding began to look for options to stage his work, he found an even more daring exercise of imagination: it was through the Peruvian historian Manuel Burga that he contacted the director Paola Vicente, who He proposed adapting “Libertadores” with five women on stage. From there comes “Libertadorxs”, the staging that will have the actresses Lía Camilo as Bolívar and Vera Castaño as San Martín. Completing the cast are Katiuska Valencia, Angelita Velásquez and Wenddy Nishimazuruga.

“When this possibility was presented to me, it seemed perfect,” says Riding. What I wanted was for the piece to be presented. And if Sarah Bernhardt made ‘Hamlet’ with one leg, why not? [risas]. I spoke with Paola on Zoom and I really liked the idea she had proposed. “It seemed perfectly acceptable to me.”

Asked if, in a personal capacity, he is more inclined towards one of the two positions in dispute, Riding confesses that having lived for a time in Buenos Aires made him “a little more sanmartinian”. But at the same time he remembers the day he traveled to Guayaquil to trace the encounter, and came across the famous monument that brings the two liberators face to face. “And as Ecuador became more Bolivarian, they gave Bolívar five centimeters taller than San Martín. So you’re looking at him like down”, he recalls with humor. Perhaps more proof that history is always altered to suit everyone.