The Friends of Democracy and Nice Movie-Café called for a gathering yesterday at Garibaldi Square to commemorate forty-five years since the military coup in Chile. It was an event, attended by many curious onlookers, that aimed to focus on the future rather than the chronological sequence of events. The goal was to pass on the cultural heritage of a significant historical event to as many people as possible, so that it never happens again.
In this context, the members of the Friends of Democracy and Nice Movie-Café, during an evening event, reflected on the heroic destiny of some activists executed by the junta. Joining them was Arno Munster, a philosopher and journalist, who observed the Chilean experience for a German media outlet. He recounted, to a captivated audience, a dark period in history.
With documents and photographs from Santiago as evidence, the members of the association relied on the work of Richard, who had gone to teach in Chile and provided stunning images of the Allende Monument. This monument, erected in working-class neighborhoods, features the final radio message from the President to the Chilean people on the morning of September 11, 1973.
The evening concluded with a multi-voice reading of the December 4, 1972, speech at the United Nations. Salvador Allende announced a historical phase characterized by financialization, placing nations in dependence… “It was yesterday, but above all, it is now!”
Tanguy Barbancey
