September 11. On that date 40 years ago, a military junta brought Salvador Allende’s socialist government to an end and with it broke a democratic tradition that was part of my small country’s cultural identity. The image of La Moneda Palace, the seat of our government, in flames after being bombed by the Chilean Air Force served as the opening credits to a new history under the shadow of a military regime that would gain worldwide fame for the ruthless persecution of its opponents. Tuesday, September 11, 1973, was the beginning of 17 years of dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet. A generation of Chileans came of age during his rule while listening to their elders tell stories about the democracy that had been lost and was now so difficult to recover. This is my generation, which in contrast to our parents’ and grandparents’, was raised in a country in the midst of dictatorship.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 13:47:19 +0000
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