Faith, Liberation, and Revolution in Fire From the Mountain by Omar Cabezas

José María Mantero

doi:10.5195/ct/2020.446

Abstract

Published in 1982, the testimonio Fire from the Mountain (La montaña es más que una inmensa estepa verde) by Omar Cabezas continues to generate interest in the field of Latin American literature, particularly amongst critics dedicated to the testimonio and post-testimonio. Considered one of the fundamental works of contemporary testimonio, Fire from the Mountain narrates the political and ideological coming of age of Cabezas during the years preceding the Sandinista revolution (1977-1979) in Nicaragua, the origins of his relationship with the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), and his efforts in the struggle against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza. Throughout the text there are frequent references to his own faith, Catholicism, and God as he comes to terms with the plight of the Nicaragua people and considers the moral imperative of the revolution to depose Somoza. Our intention is to demonstrate that, in Fire from the Mountain, Cabezas implicitly considers the influence of his faith, Catholicism, and God on the revolutionary struggle. We will first contextualize our study within discussions on the Latin American testimonio and proceed to frame our study of Fire from the Mountain within a liberational perspective that references liberation theology as our theoretical touchstone.

Highlights

Institutionalization of Transgression: Testimonial Discourse and Beyond.” The Real Thing
While Cabezas may not necessarily be utilizing the absence of prostitutes on Good Friday in León to assemble his own theology, it does appear that his awareness of those socially and economically marginalized and his rather glib use of colloquial expressions grounded in Catholic tradition are gradually fusing themselves with his political activism and with the Frente
What I’m saying is, in a way we were already used to it, from the time we’d been students, used to spending Holy Week or Christmas or New Year’s shut up in churches for political campaigns” [110]. The solidarity that he witnessed during “Holy Week or Christmas or New Year’s” in León has little to do with eavesdropping on conversations during Mass. That both examples reflect an acute political consciousness that links religious expression with intentional action that deliberately takes the side of the marginalized: His membership in the Frente and his participation in political campaigns are grounded in a faith that transcends the moment and works toward the construction of a better Nicaragua