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Memoria Abierta
Av. Corrientes 2560 2 E
(C1046AAQ) Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Argentina
Tel: (54-11) 4951-3559
Fax: (54-11) 4951-4870
South American Sites of Conscience Community
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Dialogues for Democracy
The Challenge
The struggle against the dictatorship in Argentina is far from over. Many of the perpetrators occupy high levels of government, and the fate of thousands of disappeared people remains unknown and unrecognized. As Argentina’s democracy evolves, Memoria Abierta seeks to use the memory of the dictatorship to galvanize citizens to participate in shaping a better society for the future.
The Dialogues for Democracy Questions
- How could society function normally while torture and abuse were going on all around?
- Why didn’t the society act against the military dictatorship?
- What are the steps that a society takes to make injustices and horror part of normal life?
- How can I recognize abnormal injustice in what looks like a normal society? How can I act on it?
- When I see an injustice happening, does it involve me? Am I responsible or implicated?
The Program - Topography of Memory
During the dictatorship, the military established more than 600 hidden torture centers throughout Buenos Aires in which thousands of citizens were “disappeared,” abused, and murdered. These torture centers were not giant camps outside the city, but were hidden in the most ordinary places people passed by every day - gas stations, grocery stores, schools integrating horror into the “normal” fabric of the city.
The program will bring visitors on a bus tour of former detention centers in Buenos Aires. Through an accompanying audio program, visitors will listen to the voices of people who had been detained in those sites, people who lived or worked next to them and were unaware of what was happening or did not act to stop it, and people engaged in active resistance. Using these multiple perspectives as a starting point, a guide/facilitator will engage visitors particularly children in dialogue about the power of memory, social responsibility and citizen engagement.
Impact
The program will raise awareness of how, if a society does not take responsibility for the welfare of its fellow citizens, injustice can occur in front of a society’s eyes, and horror can become integrated into a “normal” urban landscape. Memoria Abierta seeks to develop an active and engaged citizenry that will recognize and resist injustice, and help build a strong democracy in Argentina.