Chapter 5
_1985
Our graduation as Senior´85 was bitter and sweet. But, new airs were coming.
The Politic atmosphere was changing, the international pressure against Pinochet and the press opening the information gave a new perspective on the people of our country. Pinochet was called often as dictator, crimes, beheadings and cruel kind of torture begun to see the light. The stories about Victor Jara and the tortures he suffered at El Estadio Nacional was an open secret. And the Caso Degollados, the murder of 3 men linked to the Comunist party, who were found tortured and with their throats slit in 1985, was the turning point for the change of Pinochet Era. People saw, and was the begining of the end for Pinochet and La Junta Militar.
Because of the Caso Degollados the Head Master of the national Police, and one member of La Junta Militar, Cesar Mendoza Duran, resigned from his position. He was the first member of La Junta to fall publicly. And from now on, there was no turning back.
So, since our graduation, things started to development differently. The atmosphere was changing. As I told, our graduation at school was bitter and sweet. Bitter because were leaving our house of 13 years and sweet, because the future was coming. But for me, my future had to wait. I was little immature, and had leaved SG was hard. So, I took an extra year before started my future career. Me, and a group of friends got in one year later on our University studies.
1986
Halley’s Comet makes its last appearance in the 20th century. The one that causes furor and speculation for all Chileans. People moved outside the city to have a better view on the sky. It was a big disappointment, because it could be perceived as too small. Im not sure i saw it. I think the night was cloudy and you could see a liitle twinkle star with a long tail. The End.
An attack is carried out against Augusto Pinochet by the FPMR, Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez. The attempt failed, but 5 of his escorts died and there were nine wounded.
1987
So, that group of friends that took an extra year on deciding what to do, we went all together to the same career: Public Relations. In 1987, I didn´t really know what to do in my future life. But, years later living in Barcelona, I realized these next years taught me what I needed.
I studied in a historic neighborghood of Santiago, with old and big houses from the SXIX. So it was a good and exotic place. And, it was told that one of the big house was a CNI headquarter. Few classmates noticed it. Because there was a thing. The worst thing for our evolution. In this place, we were sharing mostly girls coming from high class schools. It was like a high class school in downtown Santiago, as an internship. And, the girls were nice, but didn´t have deeper conversations about any controversy or political controversy. While, many students from other places were manifesting, we lived a mostly a quite life. The girls were ready for and thinking about getting married.
1988
So since Los degollados, politicians, from left and right became together to find and propose a formula to end the dictatorship in good manners.
A plebiscite was proposed. And two campaigns were development to convinced people of the of the dictatorship or the advantages of democracy. Great minds came together to carry on the NO campaign. And the jewell of the campaign was a video with all kind of chilean people, beautiful people, in the country, in the city, everywhere, chanting a super song. Chile la alegría te espera. Chile, happiness is waiting.
The campaign told a future without Pinochet. The plebiscite asked if we wanted to keep Pinochet on the top or not. We said NO. The triumph of the NO implied an explosion and legally, the calling for joint democratic elections of president and parliamentarians in 1989. Which led to the end of the dictatorship, and the beginning of the period called transición a la democracia, transition to democracy.
The moment was crucial. So important. World wide were supporting the cause of Amnesty International against the abuses of Human Rights in Latin America and in the world. People had the power to change to end Human Rights abuses, to end dissaperence, torture and executions. Peter Gabriel, and all these guys, helped to made a world wide consciousness, talking about these problems, that were silenced in Chile and in Argentina. They were doing Concerts all around the world, on behalf of Amnesty International. We were connected to this «planetary energy» about justice or, in these days you can call it Media. Anyway, you could feel the sky openning.
Plenty of events
The plebiscite was done on October 5th, 1988. And the NO campaign won the match. A new Chile began this day.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Now! The Concert in Mendoza was on October 14th. We went to that concert as I told and as many other chilean people. Chile was exultant, we decided the future and to break free.
1989
Next year, on December 1989 we voted. There was a coalition, la Concertacion with many parties of centro izquierda and finally a DC won the election, Patricio Alwyn. Our new President, an old man. Her daughter Mariana was my geography teacher at school.
Chile was changing, we were growing and we were breaking free at same time living our family lives. María Molina, was one of the most beautiful faces of the video campaign. She explained so well the importance of these days and how she felt watching her in the video campaign. It was the day of the plebiscite at the moment of knowing the winner. The winner was Chile finishing with the dictatorship of Pinochet. She got on her knees crying emotionally understanding the crucial moment and her huge input.
I knew her many years after these events, many years after the plebiscite. She was a georgean too, with a long story of beauty and events. Maria was outstanding beautiful and magnetic. She arrived in the 70´s from United States where her family were living. She was a girl when she arrived to SG. Where all the guys were crazy for her.
She grown up in the states in one of the biggest Democracy of the world and came back to Chile in the middle of the dictatorship. Her father was.
