LESSON 3: Testimonio

TESTIMONIO

A statement in support in support of a particular

truth, fact, person or claim.

An autobiographical narrative where the author was

present during or experienced first hand human right
abuses, violence, war or lived under conditions of
social oppression.
Authors that have experienced living in these
situations are ables to articulate a point of view that
other authors cannot.

Testimonial literature is a form of expression

It is based on what the author witnessed, and/ or lived-
through therefore it was a way in which they could
express their opinions or views on the current political
situation.

It is personal, and the topic of it has real significance

and relevance to the author writing about it.
Examples of testimonial
narrative
Biografia de un Cimarron
(Biography of a Runaway Slave)
- by Cuban Miguel Barnet (1966)

 a story of Esteban Montejo, a

Cuban man of Africa
 tells the hardship as a slave--
fugitive slave
 soldier during the Cuban war for
Independence.
 the story of an individual belonging
to a marginalized group, while
others work as an even greate social
call to criticize and publicize the
wrong doings of a social class or
political movement.
I, Rigoberta Menchu
- edited by Elisabeth Burgos- Debray

 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922

for her efforts to end oppression on the
indigenous people in Guatemala.
 a young Guatemalan Quiche Indian
woman and the tragic experiences
Indian communities in Latin America,
dealing with military oppression, moral
endurance and the struggle for justice.
 to tell the story of a marginalized group,
and call for awareness and global
conciousness of the oppression and
violence committed to these groups.
Format of testimonial
narrative
It has no fixed structure or format -- while it is largely narrative,
it may come in almost (letters, oral histories, songs, etc.) The
language does not have to be standard and may not follow the
strictures of the traditonal narrative. That length may be as long
as a book or as a brief as a one-or-to paraghraph letter.

What REALLY matters is the author's experiences of

abuse, poverty and exploitation are brought to public
attention so that they may be adressed adequately.
THANK YOU