Memory in Latin America

Over at Memory in Latin America, Lillie has been doing sterling work recently as she chronicles the efforts made by Latin American countries to come to terms with their difficult pasts. Recent posts have touched Argentina's Dirty War and its Carapintada era that came mainly in the Alfonsin years, the Chile of Pinochet and the recent efforts to being justice to several people (both perps and victims), stories of admissions finally coming to light in places like Brazil (where the whole subject of dictator-era disappearances is very much taboo...people prefer to whistle, hum and pretend "it didn't happen here"), Peru, Guatemala, Chile and plenty et ceteras.

Reading the blog regularly and as a whole, it becomes a witness to Latin America's collective conscience and its struggle to come to terms (or try and avoid thinking about) what happened here not so very long ago, and "thanks" to people like the FARC and the ultra-right paras in Colombia is still happening. As such, 'Memory' is a valuable place to read and learn about this region. Those of us who would prefer to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past need to be educated first. Intelligent, didactic material abounds at Memory in Latin America, so make it part of your internetworld, too. I salute you, Lillie.

Memory Loss in Latin America

AKA Scum

Lillie over at Memory in Latin America is doing her usual great job of following the trials of those who need to rot in jail. Today she reports on the way in which sudden and inexplicable memory loss has afflicted the two most emblematic cases in Argentina, those of torturers and murderers Alfredo Astiz (the friend of Silvio Berlusconi pictured above) and 'El Tigre' Acosta. Read on here.

By the way, here's a clip from the wiki page on Astiz from the time in The Falklands/Malvinas conflict. This is the kind of scum we're talking about:

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Astiz is known to have committed several war crimes during this period, notably attempting to lure Royal Navy helicopters to land on a helipad he had previously mined, after he had surrendered to British forces. The pilots were suspicious, and landed elsewhere. Astiz also attempted to encourage Royal Marines across a minefield, after he had surrendered. The mines did not function correctly, as their trigger mechanisms had been frozen solid by the sub-zero weather conditions. Astiz was never tried for these crimes.

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Peru: Join the campaign against death threats suffered by the Monterrico Metals whistleblower journalist

As mentioned in this post last Sunday, Julio Vásquez Calle has been receiving continued death threats via anonymous phone calls (to his home telephone and private cellular number). He is the journalist who went public with the now infamous photos that showed the extent of the torture suffered by himself and 28 others at the Monterrico (MNA.L) mining camp at Majaz, now re-named Rio Blanco. Anyone that has basic knowledge of Peru's modern history understands that death threats there are no joke at all.

The good news is that now there's a mail-writing and petition campaign that is making people aware of the threats suffered by Vásquez, and you can join in (in either Spanish or English, as you prefer). Lillie over at Memory In Latin America has all the necessary details in this post right here, so please go over, spend five minutes of your time and write a mail that will promote free speech in Peru, protect a brave reporter and help put another nail into the coffin of the sordid junior mining company that gives the industry such a bad name.

Thank you in advance.

Update
Cool, the excellent UK blog Ten Percent has picked up the baton and is running with it. Great to get support for this issue in MNA.L's homeland. Thanks RB

Good weekend reading from a respected sistasite

This weekend the recommendation is just one site. Memory In Latin America has been on top form all this week so there's not one single post to pick out; the best way to enjoy Lillie's blog is to start right at the top and scroll down. Here's the link to get there.

It really is a top blog, and if you want to do more than just surface-scratch Latin America put it on your list of required reading. Lillie does such a great job in collating and presenting information for the English-speaking world and even though some of the links handed out by her are by necessity in Spanish you will always get good context before you're sent there.

Go read Memory in Latin America this weekend. Bob Marley said it best.

"If you know your history, then you will know where you're coming from."