Reckoning with Pinochet delves into the memory question and the process through which memory became an essential part of Chilean culture. Drawing on the obvious split of loyalties within Chilean society, Stern vividly portrays the memory of both sides, bringing to light a conclusion which, despite the obvious, has the tendency to remain cloistered in a realm of its own.
The United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racism have condemned Chile’s Anti-Terrorism Law and its use against the Mapuche. According to Pedro Cayuqueo, editor of the Mapuche newspaper Azkintuwe, around 1000 Mapuches have been in Chilean jails in the past ten years. In the beginning of 2010, 106 people were jailed and 58 of them were tried under the Anti-Terrorism law.
Patricio Manns, Chilean poet, author, singer and songwriter is one of the few whose work is a testimony to history. Despite current trends and contemporary politics, which contribute a difference to ideology and culture, Manns remains committed to the universality of the Nueva Canción, and continues to be a revolutionary voice, recognizing the necessity of it and promoting the movement through his numerous works.
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This September Chile celebrated its bicentennial, and like other nations that have marked this extraordinary milestone it rolled out the proverbial red carpet to commemorate its 200th birthday. At the same time some Chileans commemorated the 37th anniversary of the military coup that overthrew the democratically-elected government of Marxist President Salvador Allende on 11 September 1973. For these commemorators, though, mixing the bicentennial euphoria with the memories of a socialist dream crushed by the evils of dictatorship brought about a bitter-sweet taste.
Late in the afternoon on September 4th, 1970, Salvador Allende celebrated his election as president of Chile. He told one supporter in the crowd, “Hug me harder, compañera! This is not a time for timidity!” […]
The families of 32 Mapuche prisoners on a hunger strike for a month in different prisons in southern Chile have come to the capital to denounce irregularities in their trials and push for dialogue with the authorities.
Chile’s billion dollar man, Sebastian Piñera, has a US$30 billion dollar problem on his hands. That’s the estimated price tag of damage caused by last month’s monster 8.8-magnitude earthquake. Fortunately for Piñera, economic hard times and government cuts to fund reconstruction won’t effect his salary: this billionaire president just got a raise.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural disasters shed light on social cracks and fissures invisible in everyday life. These disasters provoke social crises that states tend to resolve with militarization, which in turn shows the profound crises that our societies have been undergoing.
Chilean President-elect Sebastian Piñera offered a glimpse Tuesday of just how deep his pockets stretch, selling one of his relatively minor investments – a nearly 10 percent stake in a posh Santiago hospital – for a cool US$37 million. Piñera, the first conservative to win a presidential election here in more than 50 years, has long promised to cash out on his many investments before March 11, when he officially replaces outgoing President Michelle Bachelet. Critics say Piñera has already taken too long to sever his many business ties.
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