Colonialism isn't a ‘legacy’, but rather an open wound

This episode of Handing over the Mic is in Spanish.

In this episode we hand over to Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Argentine writer and journalist, and recent winner of the American National Book Award for Translated Literature. One of the most powerful literary voices in Latin America today, she reflects on Europe through the lens of history, language and lived experience.   

In conversation with Elisa Díaz Gras and Valeria Santi, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara revisits her first encounters with Europe - shaped by migration, memory and European literature - and interrogates the enduring impact of colonialism on the relationship between Europe and Latin America. She challenges the very notion of ‘colonial legacy’, describing it instead as an open wound marked by violence, dispossession and ongoing economic domination. 

Throughout the discussion, she explores how power shapes language and meaning: who gets to name the world, define ‘universal’ norms, and claim legitimacy. From the concept of the Global South to the rise of far-right movements on both sides of the Atlantic, she offers a sharp and uncompromising critique of Western narratives, institutions and futures. 

Cabezón Cámara also reflects on migration, climate injustice and global inequality, questioning whether freedom of movement and emancipation remain possible in today’s world. While expressing deep concern about Europe’s political trajectory, she highlights the importance of alliances between peoples, cultural exchanges, and alternative imaginaries beyond dominant power structures. 

A dense, provocative and deeply literary conversation on history, language, power – and the uncertain future of relations between Europe and Latin America.