America From Abroad : Reflections on 1492

Perhaps Christopher Columbus was the first European to reach the Americas.

Perhaps not.

Perhaps he was a fearless explorer.

Perhaps, a cruel exploiter.

Certainly, neither he nor the native Americans already inhabiting the “New World” that he “discovered” would grasp the terminology of today’s debate about his legacy--words such as multiculturalism and Eurocentrism.

Still, that day in 1492 when Columbus landed on what is now San Salvador--or perhaps it was Samana Cay, or somewhere else in the Bahamas--is universally recognized as a day that changed the world. Columbus has become the symbol of that change and the focus of an ongoing debate about its historic and cultural significance.

Now, 500 years later, the anniversary of the event triggers extraordinarily diverse reflections around the world.

Perhaps that’s what quincentennials are for.

Francois Mitterand, French President, writing in his memoirs of a 1975 trip from Washington, D.C., up the valley of the Potomac:

“Once again I was overwhelmed by that feeling I had felt so strongly on my first visit in 1946: America is still to be conquered. . . . All travelers see America with the eyes of Christopher Columbus. It is a voyage of discovery.”

King Juan Carlos, Spanish king, interviewed in Hola Magazine:

“ ‘The Discovery’ is a historic concept, a way of understanding the world as a whole, in which the indigenous ethnic Americans were participants as much as the discoverers. Today, I sincerely believe it makes more sense to talk about a re-encounter.

“We have never stopped feeling a sense of unity (with Latin America). . . .”

Kathy Francis, Chief of Canada’s Klahoose First Nation (native group):

“The 500th anniversary of the arrival of the first Europeans in this country is no cause for celebration for First Nations (native) people. The arrival of the explorers, and the settlers who soon followed, brought disease, servitude and loss of land and resources. It signaled the beginning of the end to a way of life which had existed in harmony with nature for thousands of years.”

CHEERS

Eden Braithwaite, London security receptionist and British citizen born in Barbados:

“Columbus’ discovery of America opened it up for Europeans. America’s influence world-wide may not seem to be as great today, because many nations have become independent and now have the authority for their own destiny in a way they didn’t two hundred years ago. But the American infuence will always be there because of what the country represents--just about every race or nationality helped create it, helped build it. That counts for a lot.

“Apart from Britain, America is the only nation I trust or have any real relationship with--or feel safe with . . . The U.S. gave us the concept of free enterprise and the opportunity for commerce and change, without which my family’s life would not have improved.”

Gerard Depardieu, French actor and star of the Ridley Scott film “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” in an interview published by the French magazine Premiere:

“This guy--who we still don’t know whether he was Jewish, Spanish, Cretan or Italian--went to see Isabelle and convinced her to open the coffers of the treasury so that he could cross the oceans. The sailors thought that on the other side of the seas they were going to find monsters. One must realize the greatness of the scene. It’s as if a Mexican went to the door of the White House in Washington to tell the President of the United States: ‘There are some things that are screwed up with your Apollo program, Mr. President. Well, I have what it takes to set it right and get it going again!’ . . . That’s exactly what Christopher Columbus did.”

Rula Kurt, U.S.-educated public relations officer of the Palestinian Health Planning Research Center in Jerusalem:

“I feel more Palestinian in America than here in my hometown of Jerusalem. In America, I can say and do anything I want; here, I am always restricted by our Middle Eastern social norms.

“At school, we did not learn much about the discovery of America, but I came to love it. . . . I always think of it as the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave.’ We Palestinians are brave, but not free . . . “

Peter Morales Troncoso, Director of the Dominican Republic’s Permanent Commission of the 5th Centennial:

“Columbus revolutionized history more than anyone since Jesus . . . “

Kim Dae Jung, President of South Korea’s Democratic Party

“The world has become one because of the discovery of America by Columbus. . . . People from all over the globe thronged into resources-rich America, and it became the center of the world. Columbus contributed to making the world one, and America the center of that one world.”

Martin Lee, Lawyer and Hong Kong legislator:

“It must seem odd to most Americans, as they celebrate Columbus Day and look back at their long-distant colonial past, that another place is today facing many of the same challenges that America’s founders so successfully met over 200 years ago. For while Americans were the first people to break free from British colonial rule, we in Hong Kong are the last . . . In order to appease Beijing and wash their hands of their last colony as quickly as possible, Britain has willingly complied with China’s demands to stifle democracy in Hong Kong. . . .

“I hope that on this Columbus Day, as Americans celebrate the progress you have made, you will also spare a thought for those peoples who do not have the democracy and freedom that you take for granted.”

Klaus Meine, Lead singer of the German rock band the Scorpions:

“We thank Columbus for having discovered America, because without him we would never have been able to play in the land of rock ‘n’ roll.”

JEERS Ramon B. Martinez, President of the Dominican Republic’s Human Rights Commission:

“We are in deep distress here. We have high unemployment here (37%) and 300 people a week escape by boat because of the difficult life. It makes one wonder why the (Dominican Republic’s) President thinks only about Columbus and the glories of ancient Spain.”

Lionel deLatour, Businessman and former Haitian diplomat:

“The majority of my countrymen do not have high esteem for the admiral (Columbus). Needless to say, he was a courageous man and brought tremendous changes. But he is seen here as extremely narrow and selfish, someone who brought a great deal of suffering and death. I concur that the meeting of the two worlds would have occurred regardless of Columbus, and I suppose it could have been even worse.”

Christina Haverkamp, German teacher, member of the Society of Endangered Peoples and one of two people who sailed a bamboo raft across the Atlantic earlier this year to protest destruction of American Indian cultures following Columbus’ landing:

“I think that October 12th can be interpreted differently. But if you see everything together, it’s actually no reason to celebrate. . . .

“We undertook this raft journey to put a different accent on the 500th anniversary celebrations in America. . . . We put our raft in front of the White House, (and) hoisted the sail, which carried the message: ‘500 years of America, 500 years of genocide: Land rights for all Indians North and South.’ (But) I think we have the Americans to thank for democracy. They freed us from Hitler. For me personally, America is always a step ahead--even when this step isn’t always positive.”

Rev. Tommy Sholtes, Belgian Jesuit priest and national secretary general of the Catholic Church’s Media and Culture Commission:

“This anniversary is precisely linked with the visit of the Pope to Santo Domingo in October, where he will publicly ask for forgiveness from America’s populations who were crushed by the European discoverers in the name of God. By acknowledging mistakes she made 500 years ago, Europe is recognizing the value of those populations today.

“But now America has forgotten about solidarity with other continents that need its help. The predatory practices of America’s businesses can hardly be allowed by the church.”

Jackie Levy

Israeli actor and philosophy student:

“America is a country that chooses for its leaders the most superficial, who only know to spout slogans. In a world of bluff, America is the natural leader. . . . Fighting the Eastern Bloc, America has done well. Next to Germany, Japan and China, the U.S. is good. . . . It is logical, pragmatic.

“On a social level, America has had a lot of influence, especially in Israel--Coca Cola, hamburgers, cinema, literature, Andy Warhol. It has also attracted opportunists from all over the world. The U.S. is a supermarket with a little of everything, but it has nothing authentic.”

Kwon Haeng-sok, Director of South Korea’s Global Enterprises Ltd.

“The discovery gave the white people a momentum to rule the world. . . . Without Columbus, the Asians may be playing a leading role in world history. And it would have been different. . . . The discovery helped develop science, navigation, industry and, to compete with other white colonialists, the development of arms. This development may have contributed to the affluence of our life, but affluence is not a major factor for happiness. The white expansionists destroyed some of the finest civilizations and culture of the world including Inca, African and South American civilizations. . . . Columbus may be a hero to the white people, but to the rest of the world, he was a destroyer of fine civilization.”

MIXED REVIEWS

Yves Berger, French writer specializing in American Indian studies, interviewed in L’Express:

“Christopher Columbus, is, in the end, ourselves, each one of us, and in order to undo an image that we don’t like, our own, we have created a scapegoat by loading onto him all our defects and vices.

“America was the last occasion--the last place--for a possible regeneration of men . . . We hold a grudge against America and its discoverer for not having provided, with the New World, a new world. We hold a grudge against Christopher Columbus for not having been God in starting over a better world . . .

“We are the orphans of the American dream. On its imperfections, its shortcomings, its debris, Communism wanted to build for tomorrow this golden age that the discovery of America, at the second when Columbus was mistreating his first Indian, was throwing into the past. We know the result. It is extraordinary to think that the 500th anniversary of the discovery, chipped dream, is the year that Communism crumbled everywhere . . . When all is said and done, we still have America. There’s nothing left but her.”

Giuseppe Nardulli, Italian architect and sculptor:

“After Columbus, America became a cocktail of people from all over the world. Today this cocktail is worn out, and it’s the Europeans who are making a new cocktail of their own.

“Unfortunately, the Americans have remained very conservative in their thinking. Technologically they have answered a few questions and discovered some solutions, using brains from all over the world. They have also conquered space. Yet they have not answered some of the basic questions of life--such as what mankind really is.”

Irina G. Popova, Social anthropologist at the Russian Academy of Sciences:

“Like any major discovery--like, say, Newton’s laws--(the discovery of America) enriched all humankind. . . . Personally, I have mixed feelings toward America. On one hand, its image is full of romanticism and heroism. . . . On the other hand, and especially recently, America has become a cultural aggressor, a center of emerging mass culture for all humanity.

“Nevertheless, America . . . remains the Promised Land for many millions of people all over the world.”

Nikita S. Khrushchev, Russian journalist and grandson of the late Soviet leader of the same name:

“Five hundred years ago, it was just the discovery of a new land. With the passing of time, the significance of the discovery grew immensely.

“America (the United States) is a country that is neither an example for others nor perfect. It is a genuine multiethnic state. The way people live there is their own business. But they live wonderfully. I can only salute a country where people live according to a 200-year-old Constitution . . .

“Unfortunately, there were cultures that disappeared due to occupation of America by Europeans: Indian and Eskimo cultures, for instance. (But) the world is being enriched by people whom we call not American French, American English or American Russians, but simply Americans. They greatly contributed to world civilization.”

Jose Miguel Iglesias, Madrid bank security guard:

“(Columbus’ voyage) was a changing of eras in the world. It started the (Spanish) renaissance--in letters, in architecture, in art. It was the most important period in Spanish history. To analyze (Columbus’ discovery) by current standards isn’t fair. If these things happened today, of course, we’d consider them exploitation.”

Randolf David, Philippine TV commentator, sociology professor and activist in movement to force U.S. military bases out of the country:

“Columbus and the entire legacy of America means democracy, freedom of the individual, equal opportunity, various freedoms of expression--to rebel even. These are the good things. The bad things are that America was, in a sense, a reluctant colonizer. It came to our shores not knowing what to do with us, but found itself politically, historically and morally compelled to take us on. That, I believe, has stunted our own growth . . . Our growth into our own nationhood has been intercepted so many ways by the colonial experience.

“Western institutions as we know them today have no cultural basis in our country. Yet when we participate in them, we expect them to work the way they do in America. When they don’t work, we’re constantly baffled and confused that they don’t work, whether you’re talking of politics, business or education. . . .”

Ivonne Ruiz Lopez, Mexican accounting assistant:

“Columbus’ coming to America was important because it united everything in America with Europe, in a fusion of cultures and customs. We are the result of that fusion . . . The Spanish brought both good and bad customs. For example, the Catholic religion was good. But Columbus should not be celebrated. The cultures here were very advanced, and the Spanish destroyed much of what they found in order to impose their own culture.”

Dr. Heinz Joachim Domnick, Scientific staff member at Berlin’s Ethnological Museum, which is currently running an exhibition titled: “America 1492-1992--New Worlds, New Realities”

“October 12th . . . symbolizes the beginning of a global contact of all the global cultures. . . . On this day, one should consider how much this contact between cultures has enriched the world. I mean, if we Europeans think about our cuisine, our music, our free time--how poor, dry and boring it would all be without America’s contributions. With the problems we are having today in Germany with right-wing extremist attacks on foreigners, we need to remember the spiritual value of this contact and how much more enriching it is than a narrow, isolationist nationalism.

“But what Columbus began also led sometimes to catastrophic results. Think of what happened to the Indians. We need to remember on this day that all the cultures of the world have to work together as equals in the future if we are really going to solve the problems facing all of us.”

Makiko Inoue, Japanese housewife

“America may have to pay more attention to the opinions and ideas of other countries and cultures in the world of today, where each ethnic group is trying to preserve its own identity. (But) I personally feel uneasy about whether the world can maintain order without (the) strong leadership of America.”

James Tang, Lecturer, department of political science, University of Hong Kong:

“Like Columbus, who had difficulties in deciding whether he had discovered a new continent, the United States appears to be rather uncertain about its role in the post-Cold War new world . . . “Unlike Columbus, whose ventures brought imperial activities and colonization of a new land, the new world United States now promises a wonderful opportunity for international cooperation for peace and security. . . . I hope the United States will remain committed to the ideals of democracy in defining her role in the new world . . .”

Columbus’ Voyage of Discovery

Aug. 3, 1492. Palos, Spain. Columbus sets sail.

Sept. 6: Leaves Canary Islands.

Sept. 25: Shifts course after false sighting of land.

Oct. 12: Lands in Bahamas; precise site disputed.

Oct. 27: Sights Cuba.

Dec. 24: Northern Hispaniola coast. Santa Maria wrecked; colony founded. Columbus returns home.

Sources: National Geographic; The New Columbia Encyclopedia

* ‘Columbus’ Staff

The following Times staff writers and special correspondents contributed to this report: Kenneth Freed in Miami; Michael Hiltzik in Nairobi; Tyler Marshall in Berlin; Tamara Jones in Bonn; Joel Havemann in Brussels; William Tuohy and Judy Ross in London; Juanita Darling and Susan Drummet in Mexico City; John Pollack in Madrid; Michael Parks, Dianna Cahn and Hakam Fahoum in Jerusalem; Janet Stobart in Rome; Rone Tempest and Joshua Meisler in Paris; John-Thor Dahlburg and Andrei V. Ostroukh in Moscow; William Long in Buenos Aires; Mary Williams Walsh in Toronto; Charles Wallace in Singapore; Bob Drogin in Manila; David Holley in Beijing; Sam Jameson and Leslie Helm in Tokyo; Jungnam Chi in Seoul; Christine Courtney in Hong Kong.