Argentina- week 3

Week 3

Wednesday 24, 2013

Today, I visited “The Association of Former-Detainees and Disappeared” where I met with a group of 4 former detainees- three men and one woman. First, they explained to me the reasons they had to form a group and the goals of the organization. It is very interesting and moving to know that all of them share a common experience. They all were taken illegally from their families, detained for a long time, tortured and finally released without a legal reason. It was also sad to hear the stories they told me about their captivity and life in prison. Their stories gave a vivid idea of what their life was like and the things they had to do to survive. It was equally sad and inspiring to see how such a terrible experience, being a former-prisoner, gave them the reason to form a deep friendship that goes back more than 20 years.  

Another piece that they shared with me are ideas about how things have changed since the last dictatorship. It was very embarrassing to hear their perspective on what my adopted country “the U.S” did, not only during the dictatorship but also after, to control politically and economically Argentina and the region in general.  One person in particular I met was Osvaldo Ramos who agreed to be interviewed by me the next day.

Thursday 25

Today, was one of the saddest moments of my journey. I spent several hours with Oswaldo Ramos (a former prisoner and an active member of the association). He is the person who I met yesterday. Today,  we spent several hours alone and he told me his story: In 1978, he and his young wife were kidnapped by the police in the middle of the night. He described in detail to me the mechanisms of psychological and physical torture that they experienced during their captivity. It was shocking to me to hear part of his experiences as prisoner. I had read many similar testimonies; this was the most powerful, because the person was in front of me! It was so painful to hear his story and his wife’s. I saw for the first time how this could really happen to anyone and it scared and horrified me.  (I am not including this interview out of respect for him and his wife, but I will edit it and include excerpts of his account in my class next year).  

One of the most amazing facts about Osvaldo, however, is that after he was released in 1979, he was one of the first victims that spoke out against the dictatorship. It was an honour to met him, because he was one of the victims who testified against the former “Jefe de la junta- Videla” (Dictator of Argentina 1976-1981) who was later condemned for war crimes.

One last thing that impressed me about him was to hear that he is no longer angry for what his government did to him; instead he is driven to help others in the same situation around the world.