A black sheep in power

A Black Sheep in Power is the official biography of former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica.

Pepe Mujica is undoubtedly one of the most interesting figures in contemporary history. He was a member of the National Liberation Movement, which in the 1960s robbed banks to distribute money to the poor, and later fought against the military dictatorship in Uruguay between 1973 and 1985.

He escaped from prison several times, but ended up spending more than thirteen years incarcerated. He used this time to study biology, agronomy, and veterinary medicine.

With the fall of the military dictatorship, he entered mainstream politics. He served as a congressman, minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, and finally, president of the Republic, elected by a coalition of left-wing parties. The legalization of same-sex marriage, the decriminalization of abortion, and the regulation of marijuana production and sale by the state put Mujica and Uruguay on the map for a few years.

In his youth, as a member of the National Party, he visited the Soviet Union and became disillusioned with communism when he saw that the Communist Party's top brass lived in conditions unattainable for the majority of the population.

He defines himself as an anarchist and says that anarchism and liberalism are first cousins. He moves easily among world leaders such as Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. He has good relations with the Castro brothers and Evo Morales, considers himself a friend of Lula, and spent time with Hugo Chávez, although he disagrees with them. He harbored no resentment toward the military. He is an atheist but believes the Catholic Church is one of the most respectable institutions in the world. He never stopped studying. Even when he was president, he never stopped frequenting his usual bars, driving his Volkswagen Beetle, and living on his modest farm near Montevideo, where he cooks and washes the dishes. He despised the ostentation of power, palaces, and luxury cars, and always refused to wear a tie. He donated about 70% of his earnings to affordable housing programs.

A black sheep in power is the result of a report constructed over decades that leads to a simple conclusion: Pepe Mujica is a Latin American icon.