This site has been developed to share my experiences as a Distinguished Fulbright Teacher in Argentina. The views shared here do not represent those of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Fulbright Commission, the Academy for Educational Development (A.E.D.), nor those of la Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina.

viernes, 27 de mayo de 2011

EL 25 DE MAYO AND OVERNIGHT-BUS DIPLOMACY



Written 26 May 2011 (Warning: This entry is longer than usual.)

At the first university in Argentina (the third in all of Latin America)

Cathedral in central plaza of Córdoba Capital
PART I

Yesterday was el 25 de mayo. Lili and I arrived in Córdoba Capital, the second largest city in the country, located in the Province of Córdoba. We are aptly staying at a humble hotel located on a street named…25 de Mayo!  This is all extra exciting because May 25th is a día de la patria in Argentina, a patriotic national holiday. It is celebrated by taking the day off of work, wearing light blue and white, eating hearty locro stew and fried churros, and donning 19th century costumes in front of your parents for a school play (if you are in kindergarten). We had the pleasure of enjoying the food and also watching three different primary school shows over three days.  If I hadn’t already begun to develop some good ol’ fashioned Argentine national pride, there is certainly no escaping it this week. As I fell asleep last night, the national colors shimmered behind my eyelids.

Guest Book at one school's 25 de Mayo events (lines from national anthem)
Carrying the bandera 
A fifth grade chorus and sixth graders playing the guitar to honor the Patria 

Locro 
Kindergarten students, teachers & parents re-enacting life in 1810
 (yes, some of them are in black-face, playing the role of afro-argentino domestic workers)



A CUTE munchkin in Córdoba!
Mistaking me for a professional photographer, his grandma asked me to take this picture of him and how much I charged. I told her this one was on the house since it was día de la Patria and all. ;-)

Ok, I exaggerate a little, but the history of the holiday is interesting and important to the constructed ideal of Argentinidad, or Argentine identity. It marks the anniversary of the Primera Junta in Buenos Aires in May 1810, the first assembly at which the early leaders of a nascent state decided to throw off the yolk of Spanish colonialism and establish their own national government.  Do not be deceived; May 25 is not Argentine Independence Day (it’s on July 9).  Rather, it concluded the week-long revolutionary summit during which the participants thought about declaring independence.  After all, Napoleon had invaded Spain, France and the United States had both already established constitutional republican states. Wasn’t it about time to fully reject the Spanish Viceroy of the Río del Plata?  The answer was a thunderous .

Libertad! Libertad! Libertad! calls the Argentine national anthem. “What is freedom?” is a major question asked within schools across the nation this week. Amidst the songs and symbols and hoopla, I cannot help but ask, what about nationalism?  In an increasingly globalized world, does nationalism
make us more free, or not? 

What is liberty? Some student responses

On April 4 in the Plaza de Mayo I happened upon another fine display of nationalism. A marching band played in front of the Casa Rosada around sunset, and then the Argentine flag was lowered. A crowd observed and recorded the event on cameras and by video. After the bandera was lowered, a scruffy looking older man shouted 3x, “¡Viva la Patria! ¡Carajo!” (Long live the Homeland! Dammit!) and following each cry the people responded, “¡Viva!” Then they joined in on the singing of the national anthem and other patriotic songs. 
PART II

As an envoy from the United States to Argentina, I am routinely asked about U.S. violence – from gangs, guns in schools and bullying to foreign military policy. Like it or not, it’s a big part of how the rest of the world perceives us. Osama bin Laden is a hot topic right now: “Why did they have to kill bin Laden? Why not try him in court? Is he really dead?” It happens at unexpected hours. For example, as I was about to fall asleep on the bus to Córdoba the other night, my seatmate turned to me and politely asked, “Is it true that people in your country believe Iraq was responsible for the Twin Tower attacks? Why did the Iraq war happen? It doesn’t seem right that 3,000 people died and then tens of thousands more had to die too.”

Diplomacy happens on many levels, and even on the bus at 11:00 pm after a brutally long day, I can’t walk away from such conversations. To be clear, I am under no obligation to neither defend nor defile the United States, but I definitely see it as part of my job here to engage in productive dialogue.  And as my bus friend pointed out, we often have to separate a Government from its People, and listen to each other as people.

Inside a Córdoba high school: People are free, but when we choose, we are responsible for what we do and also for what we do not do. - Jean-Paul Sartre

PART III
This morning at a public high school, Lili and I were sarcastically introduced by the principal to a teacher like this: “Son del Imperio.” (They are from the Empire.)  Indeed, the United States has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Argentines. Why? After all, they love our cultural media production—music, films, Internet, and television—and over time have looked to us as a political and social model in many other respects. In my role as a Listening Ambassador, I have so far collected from Argentines these reasons for their current criticism:

1) Many Argentines have not forgiven the U.S. for our government’s support of torturous dictatorships here and other parts of Latin America during the 20th century, including the military junta that seized and terrorized Argentina from 1976-1983.

2) President Menem was tight with Washington, D.C. during his 1989-1999 years in office. President Menem also made a slew of conservative economic and social policy changes that, among other negative consequences, facilitated the 2001 economic crisis which completely rocked the society and left 40% of Argentines unemployed (more on this later).

3) The Argentine character is just cranky and negative. (this one came from a teenager)

As U.S. citizens we have no control over the “character” of people around globe, real or imagined. We do, however, have a responsibility to demand and support just foreign policy from our government and just business practices from our private sector. As People, let’s not forget that the world watches us always, be it with love, lust, or loathing. Ultimately, how we present our national identity, and certainly how we engage with each other and our neighbors, have profound impacts on us all.



 



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