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The Death of Roque Dalton

Back in the day on May 10th, 1975, leftist Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton was executed just days shy of his fortieth birthday. The acclaimed wordsmith, whose works include “The Window in My Face,” “The Injured Party’s Turn,” and “Clandestine Poems,” had lived a life as rebellious as his poetry. Early in his adulthood, Dalton joined the Communist Party before being arrested for his activities. His life was spared only by the overthrow of the dictatorship that ruled El Salvador. Forced into exile, Dalton resided in Mexico before heading to Cuba. Firm in his commitment to the struggle, the poet returned to his homeland clandestinely only to be arrested once more. Facing execution, he miraculously escaped prison after an earthquake struck. At this point, Dalton sought to embody his revolutionary ideals by joining the guerrilla movement. Rejected by the Popular Liberation Forces, he was ultimately accepted into the ranks of the ERP or People’s Revolutionary Army. A schism ensued, however, when Dalton advocated for building a mass base through civil society groups. Rivals within the ERP accused him of divisiveness and being complicit with the CIA. Soon thereafter, the shots rang out in San Salvador.

And with that, the voice of the poet who once wrote that “my veins don’t end in me but in the unanimous blood of those who struggle,” was silenced.

For Uprising, this is your truth professa’ saying it’s no mystery why they conceal our people’s history!