"Apropria-te de mim e refaz a independência sempre que preciso": a polissemia e a longevidade do culto bolivariano

Abstract

This article sheds light on the construction of memory regarding Simón Bolívar, a polysemic memory that intertwines the actors of the Gran Colombian independence war and posterity. We depart from letters exchanged between Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander, visit Colombia and Venezuela, contemplate public monuments, and listen to the Simón Bolívar Symphonic Orchestra. Throughout this path, we discuss the polysemic construction of a place for Bolívar among national heroes, given the importance of the independence military campaigns in South America and their historical implications – among others, the building of a Republican civic culture, of a community of high commanders and of the notion of an ideal nation, later captured by political projects in Venezuela and Colombia.