Hippopotamus Dead or Alive: Animals and Trauma in Narratives of the Drug War

A strange animal haunts recent Latin American novels: the hippopotamus. This article analyses the meaning of the presence of these big African mammals in narco-themed literature through a discussion of El ruido de las cosas al caer (2011) by Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Fiesta en la madriguera (2010) by Juan Pablo Villalobos. This presence at first appears to be a mere literary representation of the link between drug and animal trafficking, particularly the narco-fad of showcasing wealth through the establishment of private zoos. Yet the meaning of this presence runs deeper. I argue that, in the texts, the animals embody trauma: the authors employ the hippos to represent and debate the wounds left behind by armed conflict and structural violence. Animals occupy several positions and meanings in the novels. Their living or dead bodies, their sounds and silences express the materiality of life and death as well as unspeakable pain. Their undisputed innocence as animals caught in the crossfire opens up the possibility of questioning the criminalizing discourse of the drug war. Their commodified animal bodies speak of the trauma of capitalism and colonialism.