The white shall, tied neatly, tightly, under a stern chin: the sight is a familiar one in the Plaza de Mayo in the heart of Buenos Aires. The popular square, which was the scene of the 1810 revolution, has been political gathering place for protests as early as the mid-forties. Arguably, the most renowned group to establish their presence over the years has been the handkerchief-donning Madres.
Origins
During the Dirty War of Argentina lasting from 1976-1983 an estimated 30,000 people were “disappeared”: kidnapped, tortured, raped, brutally murdered then buried in mass graves, thrown in the river, or disposed of through other methods. Although some of these “disappeared” members of society were leftist guerilla fighters or organizers meetings to overthrow the military dictatorships in power, the majority of them were university students, academics, or other liberals who at one time might have vocalized a critique of the government. Some of the “disappeared” were not even dissenters but rather unfortunates who happened to show up in an address book of interest to the government.
The mothers of the “disappeared” would knock on doors to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of their children; they visited the Ministry of the Interior, police departments, churches, barracks and tried to make contact with Military chiefs and members, to no avail. In order to get leverage and put more pressure on officials to respond, they decided to meet in the Plaza de Mayo across the street from the Casa Rosada, or the Pink House. As word of their demonstrations quickly spread, their numbers grew from 14 founding members to hundreds (newspapers were censored from addressing any “disappearances”).
Three or four hundred white handkerchiefs, embroidered with the names of lost and loved ones, could be seen, every Thursday from 3:30 to 4 PM. Some Mothers went abroad to Europe and the United States in order to protest their “disappeared” children and ask for support. Other family members soon attended; wives and husbands, sisters and brothers, fathers, children, and grandsons joined the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and in other cities around the country.
The Abuelas of Plaza de Mayo have, infact, been arguably as successful. Their mission is to search for their grandchildren, who might have been born in captivity and adopted after the disappearance and probable murders of their mothers. In 30 years, they have located 87 of the disappeared children. Today, their work focuses on the rights to an identity, an inclusion in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child known as the “Argentine clauses”, articles 7, 8, and 11. Another success by the organization was the National Committee for the Rights to Identity, or CONADI, created by the National Executive Power of the government in 1992. Through petitioning, the Abuelas were able to create this organization which aids young adults in finding their identity through the retrieval of documents and the taking of blood tests.
The Madres TodayThe association split into two groups in the mid-eighties, after the fall of the juntas and the democratic election of a new President. One faction focuses on legislation in persecuting past officials and gathering remains of the deceased. Laws to block the prosecution of such officials were originally drafted in 1986 and 1987 by Raúl Alfonsín’s government in an effort to quell a military rebellion incited by officers that were angered at human rights trials, says Human Rights Watch. The efforts of the Madres have helped convict former police officials and higher-ranking officials since the annulment of those amnesty laws which had guaranteed impunity for 20 years.
The other group is more politicized, proclaiming to adopt and continue the leftist ideology of their children and at the same time refusing government aid or compensation until formal government recognition of the systematically forced disappearances. This latter group has become more radicalized, evidenced by the defense of the actions of the Sept. 11 hijackers, whom they call courageous, and the inclusion of Saddam Hussein’s writings in their recently published book. The backing of younger militants inspired by the Cuban Revolution can partially explain this faction’s ardent anti-US stance.
Their final march of resistance addressing the disappearances occurred on January 26, 2006. According to the Mothers’ association, the government is no longer indifferent or antagonistic towards the missing persons from the Dirty War. In June of that year, Argentina held its first trial for forced disappearances since the 2005 annulment of the “full-stop” and “due obedience” laws, which had guaranteed impunity for officers of the military dictatorship. Nevertheless, they continue to march every Thursday in support of other social and human rights causes.
Significance and Legacy
The Mothers’ association has established a number of resources upholding the revolutionary ideals of their lost ones. These include an independent university, library, cultural center, and bookstore which subsidize education, healthcare, and other services for students and the greater public.
In Searching for Life, author Rita Arditti comments on the tremendous impact of the Mothers’ vocalizations. She argues that victims dealt with the stress by “retreating into private worlds and turning inward,” separating from each other, and eventually being consumed by a “terror that influenced every thought, action and feeling,” allowing the government to maintain their strict control through fear (Arditti 82). She and others argue that the Mothers combated the isolation promoted by the government in addition to encouraging other mothers and grandmothers to search for their children and grandchildren. Their bravery in itself is a symbol considering especially that, over the years, supporters of the Mothers and three of the founding members were themselves “disappeared.”
Their legacy continues today through countless cultural mediums. A collection of movies and documentaries have been based on or have featured the Madres and the Abuelas of the Plaza de Mayo, including The Official Story, a canonical film of the dirty war set in 1983. In this film, Alicia is a high school teacher who is oblivious to the dirty war until she begins to explore the identity of her adopted child, Gaby, and finally meets Gaby’s real grandmother, an Abuela of the Plaza de Mayo. Joan Baez featured the Mothers in her 1981 documentary There But for Fortune. In addition, Sting and U2 have both written songs about the Mothers within the past three decades and have invited Mothers on stage during their respective performances. Below are the song lyrics; read on, or play the songs and envision a sea of white shalls…
They Dance Alone, by Sting
Why are there women here dancing on their own?
Why is there this sadness in their eyes?
Why are the soldiers here
Their faces fixed like stone?
I can't see what it is that they despise
They're dancing with the missing
They're dancing with the dead
They dance with the invisible ones
Their anguish is unsaid
They're dancing with their fathers
They're dancing with their sons
They're dancing with their husbands
They dance alone They dance alone
It's the only form of protest they're allowed
I've seen their silent faces scream so loud
If they were to speak these words they'd go missing too
Another woman on a torture table what else can they do
They're dancing with the missing
They're dancing with the dead
They dance with the invisible ones
Their anguish is unsaid
They're dancing with their fathers
They're dancing with their sons
They're dancing with their husbands
They dance alone They dance alone
One day we'll dance on their graves
One day we'll sing our freedom
One day we'll laugh in our joy
And we'll dance
One day we'll dance on their graves
One day we'll sing our freedom
One day we'll laugh in our joy
And we'll dance
Ellas danzan con los desaparecidos
Ellas danzan con los muertos
Ellas danzan con amores invisibles
Ellas danzan con silenciosa angustia
Danzan con sus pardres
Danzan con sus hijos
Danzan con sus esposos
Ellas danzan solas
Danzan solas
Hey Mr. Pinochet
You've sown a bitter crop
It's foreign money that supports you
One day the money's going to stop
No wages for your torturers
No budget for your guns
Can you think of your own mother
Dancin' with her invisible son
They're dancing with the missing
They're dancing with the dead
They dance with the invisible ones
They're anguish is unsaid
They're dancing with their fathers
They're dancing with their sons
They're dancing with their husbands
They dance alone
They dance alone
Mothers of the Disappeared, by U2
Midnight, our sons and daughters
Were cut down and taken from us
Hear their heartbeats
We hear their heartbeats
In the wind we hear their laughters
In the rain we see their tears
Hear their heartbeats
We hear their heartbeats
Ooh....
Night hangs like a prisoner
Stretched over black and blue
Hear their heartbeats
We hear their heartbeats
In the trees our sons stand naked
Through the walls our daughters cry
See their tears in the rainfall
Ooh....
Photos (in order):
http://www.reflejosocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/abuelas.jpg
http://doc2.noticias24.com/0910/madresma2810.jpg
Works Consulted:
Arditti, Rita. Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina. First. University of California Press, 1999. 82. Print.
"Argentina: 'Disappearance' Trial Breaks Years of Impunity." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 19 Jun 2006. Web. 9 Aug 2010.
"Argentina: Holding Rights Abusers Accountable." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 14 Aug 2003. Web. 9 Aug 2010.
"Historia de las Madres." Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo. Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo, 01 May 2009. Web. 8 Aug 2010.
"History of Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo." Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, n.d. Web. 9 Aug 2010.
"Madres de Plaza de Mayo." Tourist Guide to Buenos Aires. easybuenosairescity.com, 25 Jan 2010. Web. 8 Aug 2010.
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