"Socialismo o Barberie"

Ifsa rule #1,071 Never go to a protest. Ifsa rule # 1,072 Never go to a protest alone. You can imagine my anxiety as I approached the Plaza de Mayo on an empty Subte A today. The walk up to the outside was a bright ascent through a gate. It was the stereotypical image of death and fitting for the rate of my heartbeat at that point.
Walking around the Plaza de Mayo there was a substantial crowd with flags and banners but not the Kilombo (crowd) I’d imagined. Everyone was smiling, and chanting, and laughing. There were hot dog and chorizo vendors as well as Simpson doll vendors. There were Argentine flags, “nunca mas” flags, and 6-7-8 scrawled on everything from flags to shirts to children. Most noticeable however, were the hearts. They were strung together and hanging from every tree, bandstand and chorizo cart. Each heart was white and represented a life that had been stolen. It was very profound and se me llene los ojos de lagrimas.
At some point the chatter was drowned out because firecrackers were being shot off down the street. I looked up to see a giant mass approaching the plaza. The marcha had begun. I walked up into the heart of the masses and found myself surrounded by banners and groups in matching shirts. The shirt of the group HIJOS was the most common. It said “Me pongo la camiseta” and debajo “juicio and castigo”. Justice and Punishment. I found some of my friends and we just watched in awe as drummers passed us, the young socialists, the Che foundation, the young peronists, the young communists, CHA for lgbt rights, and so many others. “Ole Ola, … donde estas, no te ve, vas a buscar!”

We ended up near the stage to hear words of wisdom from the Madres of the plaza de mayo. The lead madre had a way of speaking that I can only compare to the dali lama. It was just so gracious and hopeful- stern when necessary but really just appreciative of the day and the hope it brought. From the bandstand others would yell “Companeros de los desparecidos donde estas.” “Presente!” “Para ahora…” “Y SIEMPRE”

My favorite chant was for the madres though. “Madres de la plaza de mayo las invito. Su pueblo las abrazo!” (Madres of the Plaza we invite you, your city offers you a hug … more or less) It was all around a very profound experience. I’m surprised that I found words to describe it at all. Granted – I did borrow a lot of the chants.