What Is the Significance of Dia de la Memoria?

Today is a day off for us here in Argentina. It is Dia de la Memoria.

Last year, my friend Horacio visited with us on this day. He told us the history, explained what it was like living in Buenos Aires as a teenager during a military occupation. I posted what he told us. Here is his follow up comment.

Hi everybody!.

I'm really glad to know that my chat with the kind Leigh has generated at least the space to discuss this topic. Actually was she who encouraged me to write and say what I think.

As it happens all over the world is much easier to keep people worried about things that have nothing to do with solving the several problems we have in our economy, public services and whatever you like to mention.

But that doesn't allow us to forget the terrible and cruel things we suffered some three decades ago. We had 30.000 people dissapeared by that nasty dictatorship as an organized response to the supposed generalized terrorist attacks. Nobody can denied that there were some forces which tried to impose the fear attacking military chiefs or military relatives.

In my opinion that was produced by some of the ones who belonged to the left side of the socialists parties. And once again, in my opinion, it was due because they were losing their political importance. Little by little they were dissapearing of the political map, because they tried to become the strongest part of the "peronismo", the main political force at that moment. The one ruled by Juan Domingo Perón.

This leader expulsed this "left wing" of his political party after using them to win elections (in 1973) and to be the hardest part of his forces. It was like saying, you're not useful any more for me, go away.

This go away meant a declaration of war inside the peronismo. The "leftsiders" reacted as bad as they could, putting bombs, organizing attacks inside the party and against the military forces. And this was exactly what this leftsiders wanted to do, make sistematic attacks to them.

The reaction of the dictatorship was even worst, terrible. They took control of the government and imposed all over the population the fear of being suspected to be a terrorist.

There was a common phrase on those years "algo habrá hecho" (translation could be: for sure something dirty he has done), this statement was said by the common people to justify the kidpnaps made by the military government. And as a second thought "mejor no te metas" (something like you'd better don't ask what's happening).

As a result of all of this, we got a selfish, ignorant and really feared society of what happened.

That's why I say, let's remember what really happened, do not make the same mistakes. Let's learn to deffend our human rights. Let's be involved in what happens to our neighbor, to our friends, to our countrymates. In order to avoid this nasty inheritance that our sons received. Specially when still now there are people who say "during the dictatorship we were better than now", wishing they to come back, forgetting all the unhuman facts they did like babies kidnapping...

There are many other things to say and discuss, like who supported the military forces inside and outside the country, what was the economical reazon for supporting that dictatorship, etc.

Thanks for "listening" me and for forgiving my language mistakes.

Horacio

Thank you, Horacio for your insights. It's one thing to read about history and another to hear it in the words of someone who experienced it. While Lila may not understand now, the stories you shared with us made the history real.

And the only way to change our actions in the future is to learn from mistakes of the past.

Photo by Jonathan Hamner