Uncle Tiger, Uncle Rabit and Juan, the fool [Venezuelan Tales Review] ESP/ENG

Today I felt a little nostalgic as I virtually revisited some old stories that are very important to me because they remind me of my childhood and my mother (who passed away in 1997). Although these stories were popularized by the Venezuelan writer Antonio Arráiz, they were actually stories passed down orally from generation to generation, so I first learned about them because my mother told them to me. "Uncle Tiger" and "Uncle Rabbit" are fables, while the adventures of Juan Bobo narrate the experiences of a boy who, despite not being very bright and, in fact, being considered foolish, always managed to come out on top through sheer luck.

Hoy me puse un poco nostálgica al reencontrarme virtualmente con unas viejas historias que son muy importantes para mi porque me recuerdan mi infancia y a mi madre (la cuál ya no está con nosotros desde el año 97) y es que, a pesar de que estas son historias popularizadas por el escritor venezolano Antonio Arráiz, fueron en realidad historias que fueron pasando de boca en boca y generación tras generación, así que yo las conocí en primer lugar porque mi mamá me las contaba. Tío Tigre y tío Conejo son fábulas, mientras que las aventuras de Juan Bobo narran las vivencias de un chico que a pesar de no tener tanta habilidad mental, y de hecho ser considerado tonto, siempre salía airoso por pura suerte.

But there's a deeper meaning to all of this. While these may seem like innocent children's fables, they actually served to represent early 20th-century Venezuelan society during the dictatorship of General Juan Vicente Gómez. Uncle Tiger represented the elite, their arrogance and power (the government and the landowners), but his lack of wit made him look ridiculous. Uncle Rabbit, on the other hand, represented the average peasant: humble and seemingly fragile, yet cunning, a champion of justice, a folk hero who saves not only himself but all those who are vulnerable. My mother didn't live through much of the Gómez dictatorship, as she was very young when the government was overthrown. But since her mother did, she must have told her many of these fables, often full of mischief and with a rather satisfying and funny ending, where Uncle Tiger ended up humiliated.

Juan Bobo, on the other hand, isn't part of Venezuelan folklore, but rather Puerto Rican. However, my mother also told me many of his stories. Something similar happens to him as happens to Tío Conejo (Uncle Rabbit): he's seemingly a naive character, even considered the town fool. Nobody pays him much attention, and he goes unnoticed everywhere. But that's precisely where his true strength lies, since people often underestimate him, and this gets him out of many tight spots. Sometimes he causes a lot of trouble because he's extremely clumsy. Perhaps it's because Latin American society is generally quite similar (with a few differences) that this character became so popular here. When my mother told me the stories of Juan Bobo, I remember that she imitated his tone of voice (deep and slow) but I also remember that she used the accent of the Venezuelan plains, so maybe this character was "adapted" to make him more familiar, but just like Uncle Rabbit, he also represented the resilience of the people, who had to resort to cunning to be able to face the excesses of the most powerful.

Finding these stories was like reconnecting with my childhood, with my mother, and with past experiences. Literature has that beautiful power to transport us through time and relive emotions. Thank you so much for reading my post. Sending you virtual kisses and hugs 😘 🤗.