September 11th marks a day of history.
A day of terror, trauma, death and despair not only for U.S.A but for Chile
too. In the midst of all things american, some may have forgotten or, are
oblivious to this. As I roam the streets of Santiago, bursts of little but
powerful signs and objects shed some light on just how traumatic this day was
for some.
In 1973 this very same day, a coup d’etat
by the Chilean Junta Militar overthrew the government of President Salvador
Allende. Thereafter Augusto Pinochet was anointed as the new head of state.
Some people ignore his wrong doings and call him a saviour, helping Chile to
achieve a miracle along the path of economic liberalism. Others despise his
ideology and constant bashing against human rights and believe a flourishing
economy would have been achieved with or without him.
Above all, today is a day of mourning, to
all those that were murdered and repressed by his regime.
For an outsider like me to be living in
Chile and witness something like this for the first time is not so much
daunting and petrifying but exciting and interesting. My knowledge on Pinochet
is not great but it’s ample. (My degree helps!) And what I have been told is that
Santiago GOES LOCA! (crazy) People protest throughout the night, violence
increases, bottles are thrown, fights are bound - you get the gist! People have
already boarded up their houses and shops, children are not in school and the
whole Chilean population seems to be emphasizing how imperative it is that I
stay home. And although, I haven’t witnessed anything yet, I can see the
affects of this event already. We’re just approaching 2pm here and everything
is pretty normal except for the decrease of people roaming the streets,
memorabilia of lost loved ones everywhere and of course los carabineros
(police) & huge tsumo police vehicles at every corner of a street.
I guess I’ll just have to wait till the
evening to see the real affects Pinochet has had on the people of this
country..
An array of people outside los carabineros building.
I wonder where they're heading to..?
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