In many cases these slides are the only record left of many of these murals, since they were quickly painted over by the regime. The murals document people’s anger, frustration and cries for help during the dictatorship.

While going through the collection you are likely to find many a familiar face, including Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Víctor Jara, president Salvador Allende, and many other famous Chileans.

You can begin browsing all 500+ photographs here.

En ese mismo panel de SALALM titulado “La documentación en tiempos de adversidad, supervivencia y esperanza” mi amiga Lynn Shirey presentó sobre una colección de diapositivas por el fotógrafo Andrés Romero Spethman, recién adquiridas documentando los Murales de Protesta Chilenos durante la dictadura del general Augusto Pinochet (1973 – 1990). La colección fue adquirida recientemente por Harvard y actualmente está disponible en línea para uso de todos.

En muchos casos estas diapositivas son el único registro que queda de estos murales ya que fueron borrados con rapidez por el régimen. Los murales documentan la indignación del pueblo, su frustración y sus gritos de socorro durante la dictadura.

Mientras mira la colección seguro encontrara más de una cara conocida, incluyendo a Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Víctor Jara, el presidente Salvador Allende, y muchos otros chilenos famosos.

Puede comenzar a ojear las más de 500 fotos aquí.

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Chilean Protest Murals originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on August 3, 2010.

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My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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I picked up this book because of the title; I’m a big fan of the word “Gringo.” And for those of you who are about to get offended, know that I am the daughter of a self-proclaimed “gringo” and am a half “gringa” myself; to me the word just means someone from the US of A.

Chesa Boudin‘s memoir recounts his adventures throughout Latin American during a 9 year stretch. Boudin first arrived in Guatemala to learn Spanish, but eventually visited Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. For each country he recounts some of the country’s history and current situation. And amazingly Boudin happens to find himself in the middle of many of the region’s unfolding news stories. He was in Chile during 9/11, and was in Buenos Aires when Argentina’s economy collapsed. He spent some time in Caracas while Chavez was seeking reelection in 2006, and visited Peace Communities in Colombia. In Ecuador he describes the intense socio-economic divisions in the country, and in Bolivia he talks to miners who recount the hardship of their work.

In general this is another story of another “gringo” traveling through the region, there are plenty of those memoirs out there already, but what sets this one apart is that Boudin is the son of two former Weather Underground member, and his background clearly permeated everything he sees. Boudin isn’t one of those self absorbed “gringos” traveling while trying to discover their roots or who think they already know everything about the region, instead he openly acknowledges that his outside status often gets him amazing deals; He even has a name of this, it’s the “gringo wild card!” The gringo wild card allowed him to cross international boarders without hassles, got him the best seats on long bus rides, and allowed him to befriend people from every soci0-economic background.

All in all a good read.

Empece a leer este libro por el título, me encanta la palabra “Gringo”. Y para aquellos de ustedes que están a punto de ofenderse, sepan que yo soy la hija de un auto-proclamado “gringo” y soy mitad “gringa.” Para mí, la palabra simplemente significa alguien de los EE.UU.

Las memorias Chesa Boudin relata sus aventuras por América Latina durante un trecho de 9 años. Boudin llegó por primera vez a Guatemala para aprender españoly durante el transcurso de los años termina visitando Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile y Argentina. Para cada país Boudin narra parte de su historia y la situación actual. Y sorprendentemente Boudin logra encontrarse en medio del despliegue de noticias en la zona. Estuvo en Chile durante el 11 de septiembre, y estuvo en Buenos Aires cuando la economía de Argentina se desplomó. Pasó algún tiempo en Caracas mientras que Chávez buscaba su reelección en el 2006, y visitó las comunidades de paz en Colombia. En el Ecuador describen las intensas divisiones socio-económicas del país, y en Bolivia habla con los mineros que relatan las dificultades de su trabajo.

En general esta es otra historia de otro “gringo” viajando a través de la región, y ya hay un montón de estas memorias por ahí, pero lo que distingue a esta es que Boudin es el hijo de dos ex-miembros del Weather Underground, y sus antecedentes claramente filtran todo lo que ve. Boudin no es otro “gringo” absorto en si mismo que viajan para tratar de descubrir sus raíces o quien cree que ya sabe todo sobre la región. Boudin reconoce abiertamente que recibe trato preferencial por ser extranjero; incluso tiene un nombre para este fenómeno, ¡la “carta fantástica del gringo!” La “carta fantástica del gringo” le permitió cruzar fronteras internacionales sin problemas, le consiguió los mejores asientos en viajes largos por bus, y le permitió entablar amistad con personas de todas las clases socio-económicas.

En definitiva un buen libro.

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Gringo: A Coming of Age in Latin America by Chesa Boudin originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on February 7, 2010.

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The site is rather cumbersome to navigate, but full of interesting material. You can find documents on Salvador Allende, Gabriela Mistral, Violeta Parra, and Miguel Enríque Espinoza. You’ll also find information on various women’s movements in Chile, resistance movement by the country’s various indigenous groups, and “Los 119“. Los 119 were a group of 119 people who were disappeared during Pinochet’s rule.

There are also sections for music (including mp3 files), and the arts.

The site also allows for participation, and offers a section where people can share news, and memories about the millions who disappeared during Chile’s dirty war.

In terms of the rest of Latino America, you can find documentation of Colombia’s Camilo Torres, and Argentina/Cuba’s Che Guevara, among others.

Archivo Chile es un sitio que inicialmente recopila información en todos los formatos sobre los movimientos sociales populares en Chile, además de incluir información sobre el resto de América Latina. El sitio también énfasis de los derechos humanos, y la política de izquierda.

El sitio es bastante complicado para navegar, pero está lleno de material interesante. Usted puede encontrar documentos sobre Salvador Allende, Gabriela Mistral, Violeta Parra, y Miguel Enrique Espinoza. Usted también encontrará información sobre varios movimientos de mujeres en Chile, los movimientos de resistencia por parte de diversos grupos indígenas chilenos, y “Los 119“. Los 119 son un grupo de 119 personas que fueron desaparecidas durante el régimen de Pinochet.

También hay secciones de música (incluidos archivos MP3), y las artes.

El sitio también permite la participación, y ofrece una sección donde la gente puede compartir noticias y recuerdos de los millones que desaparecieron durante la guerra sucia en Chile.

En cuanto al resto de Latino América, usted puede encontrar documentación del Colombiano Camilo Torres, y del Argentino / Cubano Che Guevara, entre otros.

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Archivo Chile originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on October 28, 2009.

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A significant portion of the project is a collection of e-Books. Each month books are recommended in one of the 5 areas of focus, which include; First Person Accounts, Classics of Chilean Literature, Works on Contemporary Art Criticism, Music and Dance from the 1900, and works by Foreigners in Chile during the Era of the Republic. All works can be found in full text (all in Spanish). Many of the original works are housed in Chile’s National Library, and other organizations under the auspices of DIBAN. The project began in 2001 and is part of national celebrations to culminate with Chile’s bicentennial in 2010.

The collection can be searched through their OPAC, which allows users to narrow searches by author, title, subject, and by time period, as well as type of material. Browsing can also be conducted by geographical regions, which then highlight some of the most famous locals. To see an example of these entries, take a look at the entry for Gabriela Mistral.

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Memoria Chilena originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on April 15, 2008.

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Art and other cultural pieces are often looted during times of war and much has been written and discussed on the subject. Actually a couple semesters ago I attended a lecture by Patricia Kennedy Grimsted, a Harvard professor who has written extensively on collections held in Russian archives which previously belong to other nations. Her book, “Trophies of War and Empire: The Archival Heritage of Ukraine, World War II and the International Politics of Restitution” discusses the complexities of restitution and why countries loot other nations’ cultural treasures.

Fortunately there are efforts around the globe to stop this practice. The Lost Art Internet Database is a project from the Koordinierungsstelle für Kulturgutverluste which is working to reconnect lost cultural property to its original owners. Looted Art is another such initiative, and while many of these efforts circle the Holocaust this is not a phenomenon seen exclusively around WWII, Chile recently returned a number of book taken from the Peruvian National Library about 100 years ago. And it’s not just armies who walk away with cultural property that belongs to others. Some of the largest and best endowed universities and museums around the world have gotten some of their material in such a matter. Egypt has been demanding the return of the Rosetta Stone for years, to name just one example (You can read about this from an article in the BBC). Unfortunately we are still seeing this practice in current times; the National Museum of Iraq was gravely looted during the USA invasion. (You can read about the Iraqi National Museum from an article in the Guardian.)

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Looted Cultural Goods originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on February 21, 2008.

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The return of these books is part of ongoing negotiations between the two countries which have had a number of problems over border disputes.

You can read more about this story from an article in the The International Herald Tribune, and from another article in The Santiago Times.

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Chile Returns Plundered Books originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on November 7, 2007.

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Fernández de Kirchner’s main issues while in office is likely to be the country’s economy. Argentina suffered a major economic crisis in the early 2000, from which it is still recovering. In her acceptance speech she also spoke about the impact women have in the country and who she hope to continue working with them.

Fernández de Kirchner will be joining the only other woman currently in office in Latin America, Michelle Bachelet of Chile. Hopefully these two women are some kind of proof that Latin American is leaving some of its machismo behind and moving in a new era.

You can read more about Mrs. Fernández de Kirchner from an article in the Guardian, or another article from the BBC. You can also visit her official site, or get her basic bio from Wikipedia.

Image from www.cristina.com.ar

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Cristina Fernández de Kirchner originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on October 29, 2007.

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Currently there are about 200,000 illegal abortions in Mexico, and yearly at least 1,500 women die because of poorly handled and unsanitary illegal procedures. This new law states that if a woman has an abortion after the first 12 weeks she risks going to jail for 6 months, the doctor risks between 1 – 3 years in jail, and women under the age of 18 still need parental consent.

In Latin America, only Cuba, Puerto Rico (technically USA territory) and Guyana also offer women the ability to have a legal abortion. Nicaragua, El Salvador and Chile ban the practice entirely.

Today, the NY Times, and the BBC and the Guardian, in the UK, all have articles on the subject.

You can learn more about women’s health issues in Latin America through Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN).

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Mexico City Legalizes Abortion originally appeared on Bilingual Librarian on April 25, 2007.

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