On the occasion of the 533rd anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus‘ expedition in the Americas, which began European colonization on the continent, the Argentine government decided to publish a video that exalts the figure of the Genoese navigator.
The campaign released this Sunday (12/10), the date on which Argentina celebrates the Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity, argues that colonization in the Americas “marked the prevalence of civilization over savagery” and portrays the people who were exterminated by Europeans as “plunged into barbarism”.
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In the first few minutes, the video states that “on October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in America, beginning one of the most memorable feats in history: the beginning of a process of civilization, order and progress that would forever mark the beginning of the continent”.
“Columbus knew how to face chaos, defying the adversity of unknown lands after an arduous and dangerous sea voyage. He sailed for weeks, facing violent storms, the uncertainty of the unknown and the fear of his own men”, says the narrator, then.
According to the video published by the official Casa Rosada account, Columbus’ leadership “kept the expedition strong in the face of the constant risk of shipwrecks”.
This October 12, we commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America as a symbol of progress and civilization for humanity. pic.twitter.com/tnAT2jMiS1
— Casa Rosada (@CasaRosada) October 12, 2025
Civilization x savagery
However, the most controversial part of the piece begins when it refers to the civilizations that inhabited the American continent before the beginning of colonization, appealing to a narrative that justifies the extermination actions carried out against the first peoples established in the region.
According to this account, the European expedition, upon arriving in the Americas, “encountered peoples at war and customs that included bloody rituals, signs of a world plunged into barbarism”.
The Argentine government also claims that European colonization “established the first social and political structures founded on law, Christian faith and Western values, promoting order and laying the foundations for progress in the New World.”
“Civilization prevailed over savagery, and order over chaos”, states another excerpt from the audiovisual material, which lasts just over a minute and a half and generated controversy on social media.
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The video ends by saying that “on this date, we not only remember a historical event; we celebrate the beginning of something much bigger than ourselves: Western civilization, because without roots there is no future”.
“Today, more than ever, let us honor this legacy that was built with so much effort”, says the narrator, in conclusion.
With information from Page/12.
