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| Another September 11
- the day the world changed for Chile |
As Gabriella Zuniga told the story of Chile's past,
it slowly became clear to those in attendance that the presentation
was more than just a casual retelling. The lecture was a brief history
of Chile, spanning from when the country was first claimed by Spain
in the 16th Century to the dark events of 1973. It was entitled "Another
September 11," a reference to the day when Pinochet's anti-socialist
forces took control of the government and Chilean citizens, especially
political activists, began disappearing. Zuniga and her husband were
heavily involved in the socialist movement at the time.
Chile is a long and narrow nation nestled between the Andes Mountains
and the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 2900 km (1800 miles) long, it is bordered
by Peru on the North and Bolivia and Argentina on the East. The area
was originally occupied by the Inca and Araucanos tribes, and was
claimed by Spain in 1541. In a pattern typical of the Americas - the
locals, long subjected to exploitation and brutality by their European
occupants - finally united and won their independence in 1818. A series
of victories over Chile's South American neighbors greatly expanded
the nation's borders, and in 1925 a parliamentary constitution was
adopted, allowing for a democracy in which land owners and others
of the wealthy classes could vote.
In 1970, Salvador Allende Gossens was elected President, the first
in a non-Communist nation to be elected on a purely socialist-communist
platform. Allende, who won with 36% of the popular vote by mere percentage
points, wasted no time in establishing relations with Cuba and instituting
agrarian reforms as well as nationalizing several American-owned companies.
This greatly agitated the North American superpower, and on September
11, 1973, factions of the Chilean military, unofficially backed by
the CIA and the Nixon Administration, took over the country through
military force, ending 46 years of peaceful elections. The new government,
led by Army Chief of Staff Pinochet, immediately imposed curfews and
strict anti-Marxist policies; and oversaw a dark era of political
assassinations and disappearances.
Zuniga ended her first lecture there, but did describe her 25-year
stint as the media director of the AFDD (Association of Families of
the Detained-Disappeared), a Chilean organization fighting to keep
the memories of those who disappeared alive, and to uncover the facts
behind their disappearances. |
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| Ushaia-Papeete
/ Peace Boat's 36th Voyage |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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