Upper Volta

Like an anthropologist doing fieldwork, in Upper Volta Yanko González collects language from street corners, grocery store aisles, cocktail hours, and historical sources, laying data bare with a poet's meticulous hand. In his findings, González gives voice to the voiceless, and exposes the underbelly of our own biases-the ways in which they manifest in everyday language and collective consciousness. Originally published in Chile in 2007, Upper Volta transcends borders and boundaries in its exploration of topics all too relevant in our current political climate. Like a mirror, it forces us to look head-on at the language of globalization and ethnocentrism and the changing tide of thought and culture within our own society.