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Article: Eyes on the prizewinner. (1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu)
- Article from:
- The Women's Review of Books
- Article date:
- September 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Old City Publishing, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I...Rigoberta Menchu, An Indian Woman in Guatemala was first published in 1984, edited and introduced by the Venezuelan ethnographer Elisabeth Burgos-Debray. Its author began her story of resistance with the words: "My name is Rigoberta Menchu. I am twenty three years old."
Menchu is a Quiche Indian woman, member of one of the largest of Guatemala's 22 ethnic groups. From the mountain village of Laj Chimel, she had learned Spanish - the language of her oppressors - in order to be able to tell her story. Hers was a family, like so many, that barely survived off land owned by others. Devoutly Catholic - she taught catechism for a while - she was also trained in and ...