Repensando la Independencia de Cuba a partir de Biografía de un cimarrón de Miguel Barnet

Abstract

e testimonial story Biography of a Runaway Slave by Miguel Barnet is one of the pioneers of the narrative genre and has attracted the attention of critics from the moment of its publication. e novel-testimony is seen by scholars as a text that allows the reader access to a "genuine" episteme, safeguarded by a witness of historical events. e main objective of this article is to demonstrate that the narrative of the maroon and former mambí Esteban Montejo opens new paths of reading and analyzing historical moments. In particular, the focus will be on his statements on the Cuban War of Independence. For that purpose, the theory of Subaltern Studies will be used as a methodological tool. e analysis will highlight the denial of the Afro-Cuban agency in the official history of independence in Cuba and will offer a reading of the events that recognizes the important Afro-descendant contribution.