Orlando Fals Borda

For this blog I chose option two, and the expert of my field that i pick is Orlando Fals Borda.

He was born in Barranquilla, Colombia on July the 11th in 1925. He studied english literature in the university of Dubuque. Later, he made a master of Sociology in the university of Minnesota and a doctorate in the university of Florida.

He is recognized as the father of the Latinamerican sociology and for combining the academy with more concrete work with the people.

In 1959, he founded the first school of sociology in Colombia and one of the first in Latinamerica with the need to get sience closer to the continet. His work focused on the violence lived in Colmbia during the twentieth century, understanding the peasantry, the changes of the rural society and the capacity of solving the problems of the leading elite.

His two main works are "Ciencia, Compromiso y Cambio Social", a book of his main concepts and methodologies for the construction of a Latinamerican sociology, and "La violencia en Colombia" which talks precisly of the high level of political violence and the great impact on the social structure of Colombia.

I admire Orlando Fals Borda because he was able to do a sociology in the continent and forget the western parameters, also implement an emancipatory sociology, this was so necesary in a continent like Latinamerica, immersed in poverty, violence and inequality.

A photograph you like

I usually go to stadium to watch Santiago Wanderers matches with three more friends, but we almost never took photos, but this was special. This picture was taken in November the 27th, i was with my friend an classmate Julen Olaeta an the picture was taken by one of the others of my friends called Matías Olguin.

In the picture we were in the train of Valparaíso road to Limache, there we took a bus to Quillota to see Santiago Wanderers vs San Luis at the municipal stadium Lucio Fariña Fernandez.

The match ended 2-1 in favor of San Luis, but the reason because i chose this picture is because it was one day before the university selection test or PSU, actually was the day of the classroom recognition, but we prefer went to the stadium and watch the team we love and travel with the rest of the fans.

My favorite movie

The truth is that i´m not a great fan of movies, so it isn´t difficult for me pick my favorite movie. I only have to think in a movie that I saw lonely and until the end, and between those, the movie that marked me in a more meaningful way was Machuca. 

That is a drama and historic movie from 2004. It is set in 1973, in the last days of the Unidad Popular government. Gonzalo is a 11 years old kid who studies in a high class school and come from a high class family too. the principal of his school bring up there a group of poor children to give them a better education without discrimination. In this group of children was Pedro Machuca, who will become a great friend of Gonzalo, sharing a lot of moments and visiting their homes, knowing the different realities what they live. When they go to Pedro´s house, Gonzalo fall in love with Silvana, who lives with Pedro and his mother. The group of three friends are going to live important events in a context of extreme political polarisation that make the friendship between them was over.

The film was directed by Andrés Wood and stars Matías Quer, Manuela Martelli and Ariel Mateluna. I really like this movie because it shows a particularity view of the political facts of that time, that is the kids view. The kids live all the process in a different way, and that way always was underestimated, and this fantastic movie claims that way.