Death of Pinochet
I could have been a well integrated Chile-Iranian.
Well, I am assuming this, because according to a Chilean friend who lives in London and travels frequently to Chile, the Iranians there are very well integrated and happy to be there.
But with the present pollution in Santiago similar to Tehran’s, I would have been most likely living near the ocean by now, unless there would have been a completely farsighted policy regarding the environment in Chile thoughout these years. But would I have been writing this blog? I doubt it. Well perhaps in Spanish. But no, if I was well integrated I ….
It is a senseless speculation. A catching statement by Kierkegaard: life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.
It is a shame that not many Iranians who immigrate consider Latin America as an option.
In fact when planning immigration, not many think initially that looking more like a country’s population might prove more important especially later when they get older. And for this reason many Iranians do return to Iran once they are retired, but then they keep going back and forth because they don’t really belong anywhere anymore. Well with my sensitivity to pollution I would say for this century home would be where oxygen reigns.
Anyway in early 70’s integration was not of course the reason why I was planning to immigrate to Chile during the rule of Allende.
In the first few years after moving to Munich most my friends were Latin Americans. If it was my name that triggered the friendships I cannot be sure, as the Spanish people I’ve met always liked my name but were not particularly interested in friendship. I connect this of course more to the colonial history of Spain.
My experience when travelling in Spain has been that in comparison to Latin Americans the Spanish are very reserved especially towards people coming from the east.
But I have never been to the continent of America. People who travel are very different to those who never travel. That’s why those people that one meets outside their countries will not necessarily be the most typical of their country, they will have seen a wider horizon, well if they’ve travelled without their cocoon I mean.
When Allende was elected, there was a real excitement and joy for many, especially after all those demonstrations and anger against the Vietnam War.
After all this was the first time a socialist had come to power by a democratic election.
Soon after the election my first friend in Munich – a Venezuelan- and her partner went to Santiago to work as journalists. She was fluent in 3-4 languages and wanted to support the change by writing reports for foreign papers.
They accompanied Allende to most places - including shanty towns - and wrote about the problems he was facing.
At this time there was such hope for change and many other Latin Americans coming from undemocratic countries were planning to go to Chile.
I decided to go there too once my study in Munich was over.
But this was not going to be, Chile had copper. As I have mentioned elsewhere Mossadegh had said about Iran ‘to have oil is Iran’s misfortune’.
Allende was doomed when the sound of the pots and pans echoed in Santiago.
The sound of beating cookers would have had a completely different effect of course but no chance of that amongst the upper middle class house wives of Santiago.
Those who are shown to be shedding tears for Pinochet must wash their stained hands instead, and pass their old pots and pans to the poorest in their country, and it better be full with food and preferably cookers. Or is poverty in Chile eradicated by now? And if not why?
There are of course many other hands that have been blood stained without even a visit to Chile.
The many gruesome stories of those days you can read elsewhere.
But in connection with my friend I heard a story that you are unlikely to read anywhere else:
My friend’s father – at the time an influential man in Caracas – was not happy about his daughter being pro Allende and living in Santiago.
Nevertheless being her father he phoned her a few days before 11th Sep 1973 to warn her not to go home on the 11th.
I think at the time she didn’t take it seriously.
When the coup started on that day she instinctively rushed towards her home to fetch her things, but just before turning on the corner to the street where she lived, she saw the soldiers around and in the house waiting for her.
She ran towards the Mexican embassy for taking refuge. I can’t remember if this had been recommended by her father or she did it because many others were doing the same.
Anyway when she arrived at the embassy Chilean soldiers were guarding outside the gate and wouldn’t let anyone enter the embassy. Eventually with the help of others who were jumping over the wall she managed to jump over as well and escape death to be certain.
According to herself her father must have had the information from CIA.
Does this mean CIA can kill as well as save lives depending on the position of your father?
I actually remember another story from this friend. His younger brother got into some problem with CIA while staying for a short while in US of A and was helped by FBI to leave the country. They virtually helped him by accompanying him to a plane.
Hearing this story I realized for the first time that CIA and FBI had their own battles and competitions within the United States. Is this still going on or are they married by now?
However this latter story was not in connection with Chile. But perhaps had something to do with Venezuela? After all Venezuela has oil and CIA is good at smelling oil and metal even when 2000 light years from oil.
In fact I remember there was this rumour long time ago that the desert in central Iran is supposed to have natural uranium lying around, and that American small planes were used to simply land there, fill their bags and fly away.
A few days ago I read that uranium has been found in Iran, but we knew that for decades. It’s old news. As the Iranian proverb goes: this makes even a cooked chicken laugh.
Hm, I wonder what this is about. As far as I remember the reason the nuclear plant was built near Isfahan - during the last shah’s regime – was because uranium had been found in that area already.
After the coup in Chile there was a heavy mood amongst the left, even those who knew that imperialism would accept democracy in the third world only if it is to its own advantage - with other words a conditional democracy.
Nevertheless there were regular campaigns for years and more refugees to follow.
The Chileans can now bury the dead man not only as a person but also as a part of a dead history.
Well, if you believe in reincarnation then be assured that he will be reborn again and again as a fly and squashed repeatedly.
If you believe in duality in form of god and devil having each their residence in two separate spheres then you know which home he will be going to anyway.
If you are a Taoist then you must know that his body goes to the earth whereas his soul becomes a part of the universal soul.
And if you believe in nothing after death then you know that he has joined nothingness.
And those regimes that continue to exploit the people of the world must know that the development of the human mind is like climbing a ladder which reaches the sky. As long as the problems on the earth are not remedied there will be no climbing into the space, simply because at the present many steps on that ladder are missing.
In order to be able to get to Mars the earth-society must be so advanced that when you look back at the earth from your space ship your first thought would be: I will miss this heaven.
And anyway what do you want to say to the Martians?
‘We have got many people dying of hunger and disease on earth, but never mind that, we were dying to meet you. We have the expertise to mess up your planet as well. And if you don’t let us to mine your grabigonbium15, I tell you what, WE will be the Martians.’
But what am I talking about? I should be talking about the moon; Luna, loony, lunatic, and the shadows on the moon.
And why this zooming into the space will take longer than wished, before it gets anywhere?
It’s because the earth is calling us back. We know that every sound we make vibrates for ever. There are too many sighs but also the noise of fiery engines etc.
We know of the pull downwards -gravity - but for the human specis there is also a pull upwards. And that is why we have risen to an upright position, it’s not because of using tools, as some animals do that already. And to have remained on all fours and crawled would have been much healthier for our spine, but our brain strives upwards.
And there is another thing to bear in mind. For those who believe that there exists a judgement day, then they must also realize that a day in heaven equals many years on earth. So that if no immediate change for the better takes place and the world will be doomed to go down, then the judgement ‘day’ may have already started.