Our driver, Adrian, navigated fearlessly through the mess of smog and traffic. While he drove, he also gave us a quick rundown of current topics in Argentine religion and politics, and I marveled at his thick (though accessible) Porteño accent.
We eventually made it to ISEDET (Instituto Superior Evangélico de Estudios Teológicos), which is the seminary where we are staying during this first week of orientation. We were weary travellers, and it felt great to drop our bags. Kate and David welcomed us with water and snacks, and we had a chance to call home. (My parents were happy to hear from me, and my mom remarked that I sounded like I was 'just down the street'.)
There was no rest for the weary, however, because after lunch it was soon time to head downtown. It was important to go on Thursday afternoon, because that's when the Madres de los desaparecidos do their weekly march in the Plaza de Mayo. We couldn't take the subway because it was closed, and the bus driver warned us that there were protests in the city center. Even though we had just been told at orientation to walk away from protests, we quickly found ourselves on a bus that was rapidly hurtling toward them.
Not to worry, however; if there were protests downtown, we didn't see them. We made it in time to see the mothers, whose dedication is as impressive today as it ever has been. Their sons and daughters were abducted, tortured and killed during the dictatorship (1976-83), and they still march carrying pictures of their loved ones who 'disappeared'. As they marched around the plaza in their characteristic white headscarves, it struck me that this is not ancient history; in fact, I was alive during the final years of the dictatorship. These things happened during my lifetime. Let us not forget the horrors of unchecked power and institutionalized paranoia.
No comments:
Post a Comment