Like most South American countries, Argentina went through a horrible dictatorship in the 1970’s. People suspected of subversion often disappeared mysteriously and infants were stolen from mothers seen as threats to the government. Because of this practice, many people do not know their true identities, and as a result many organizations have popped up to deal with the pain and uncertainty. The first and most famous of these organizations is the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, which comprises of mothers and grandmothers seeking their missing children. Every Thursday since 1977 these women gather and walk around the obelisk that stands on the lawns of the presidential house in protest of what the dictatorship had done. It’s estimated that over 500 people don’t know their true identities, and of these 500 only 115 have been located to date.
I studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the Fall Semester 2012. I took classes about Argentine history, but it wasn’t until I saw it in person that I fully understood it. Contemporary films fill theatres with personal stories of disappearances and lost identities, the newspaper continually publishes news of “found” people, and the Mothers continue to march at the government building every Thursday at 4pm. I went to see these women in action and was absolutely taken aback by their spirit; these women are tirelessly passionate and full of hope, even after all these years of searching. Not being Argentine or even South American myself, I can never truly understand what this tragedy feels like, but I certainly got a taste for it in the six months that I spent in Buenos Aires. These women instilled awe, appreciation and a newfound comprehension of courage in me.
Tragedies like dictatorships and repression help shape the national identity of a country, and Argentina is no exception. To begin to understand Argentine culture, I had to not only fully immerse myself in every day life but I also had to study the history and seek out its effects in society. Museums and textbooks are a start, but seeing street art and protests like these really cement the studium and help create a punctum.
Nicole Wilke
Monday, April 8, 2013
Las Madres (Revised)
Like most South American countries, Argentina went through a horrible dictatorship in the 1970’s. People suspected of subversion often disappeared mysteriously and infants were stolen from mothers seen as threats to the government. Because of this practice, many people do not know their true identities, and as a result many organizations have popped up to deal with the pain and uncertainty. The first and most famous of these organizations is the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, which comprises of mothers and grandmothers seeking their missing children. Every Thursday since 1977 these women gather and walk around the obelisk that stands on the lawns of the presidential house in protest of what the dictatorship had done. It’s estimated that over 500 people don’t know their true identities, and of these 500 only 115 have been located to date.
I studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the Fall Semester 2012. I took classes about Argentine history, but it wasn’t until I saw it in person that I fully understood it. Contemporary films fill theatres with personal stories of disappearances and lost identities, the newspaper continually publishes news of “found” people, and the Mothers continue to march at the government building every Thursday at 4pm. I went to see these women in action and was absolutely taken aback by their spirit; these women are tirelessly passionate and full of hope, even after all these years of searching. Not being Argentine or even South American myself, I can never truly understand what this tragedy feels like, but I certainly got a taste for it in the six months that I spent in Buenos Aires. These women instilled awe, appreciation and a newfound comprehension of courage in me.
Tragedies like dictatorships and repression help shape the national identity of a country, and Argentina is no exception. To begin to understand Argentine culture, I had to not only fully immerse myself in every day life but I also had to study the history and seek out its effects in society. Museums and textbooks are a start, but seeing street art and protests like these really cement the studium and help create a punctum.
Nicole Wilke
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Excellent post, Nicole. Consider how you might make your point even stronger by zooming in on the narrative of one woman. By doing so, you might be able to identify the details that could make a strong connection, not only to dictators around the world, but specifically to issues facing woman in other cities around the world, perhaps even in Miami itself.
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