One of the main streets in downtown Santiago is named "Av. 11 de Septembre." The first time I saw this, the small-minded American in me thought, "How nice. Santiago named a street in honor of the 9-11 attacks in NYC." Little did I know that 9-11 has an entirely different meaning in Chile.
Time for a short history lesson: On September 11, 1973, Augusto Pinochet and the Chilean military overthrew President Salvador Allende in a coup d'etat. The country had been economically ailing, and Pinochet's militaristic rule promised to bring about beneficial changes. His control would last until 1990.
Before moving here, I'd always heard that Pinochet was a barbarian, a violator of human rights, which I still strongly agree is true. Now in Chile, I still hear the same sentiments, but interlaced with comments of economic growth under his regime. Can I get a straight answer from anyone in Chile about Pinochet's government and his actions? No, it's a very, very sensitive topic, usually only discussed among close friends (and even then it's a very debatable and delicate subject.)
So how is 11 de Septembre celebrated? Is celebrated the right word? I've never lived in a place where a national holiday is controversial. For safety purposes, I may just watch the "celebrations" on TV tonight; friends have told me to stay away from downtown.
No comments:
Post a Comment