Revolution as an Act of Love

Paolo Freire says, ‘I am more and more convinced that true revolutionaries must perceive the revolution, because of its creative and liberating nature, as an act of love.’ He goes on to quote the enigmatic Che Guevara, who wrote in Venceremos: ‘Let me say, with the risk of appearing ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love. It is impossible to think of an authentic revolutionary without this quality.’ Freire then states a truth that is of the utmost importance and, for the campaigning activist, the greatest challenge. He says:

This then is the greatest humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. The oppressors, who oppress, exploit, and rape by virtue of their power, cannot find in this power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves. Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both.