Current Events in Chile

I thought I'd take the time to share a little with you about Chilean current events. Currently the big news story (aside from the bicentennial celebration of Chilean independence on September 18!!!) in Chile is that 30 some incarcerated Mapuches (the most prevalent indigenous group in Chile) are on a hunger strike, trying to change the way in which the anti-terrorist laws are applied to them. These prisoners, who have committed various acts of arson, and destruction of public property, are seeking to be tried in a civilian court instead of a military court. This would likely cut their prison sentence by 2/3. The hunger strike has lasted over two months, and many people are worried that the death of one of them would shed a very bad light on the bicentennial celebrations, let alone be an internationally recognized failure of the current administration. There's been a lot of discussion about whether the crimes which were committed should be considered terrorism or whether the government is unjustly applying this law to the socially-disadvantaged and discriminated Mapuches. There is also concern over whether the government's bending to these demands would set a precedent for future groups. I haven't yet been able to get a sense for what the majority public opinion here is, but it's certainly complex.

On to more personal events, I recently got REAL lost on the Santiago bus system, known as micros. I was coming back from a birthday party with my friend Shu and we jumped on a bus going the opposite direction. Let me clarify that we did know we were going the opposite direction, but it was a cold night, we hadn't seen another bus in quite a while, and we figured we'd just ride the bus to the end of the line and turn around. Not a bad idea right? The end of the line can't be that long. WRONG! The bus took us to one of the poorest sections of Santiago, a good hour away from where we started (and an hour and a half from where we wanted to be). After getting off at the terminal station, the bus drivers on duty there quickly asked us what in the world we were doing there. Didn't we know this part of town was dangerous, especially at 4:00 AM? We explained our situation and hung out with the drivers until the next bus headed back. The ride back was also exciting, as the bus driver called us up to the front at one point to ask if he could drive with the inside lights off because this was such a dangerous area. Kinda gives you the chills if a public bus driver doesn't even feel safe driving through. Well we eventually made it home, 3 hours after leaving the birthday party. And the craziest part of the whole trip was that it all took place on September 11th, which in Chile is also an important date. It is the anniversary of the coup-d'etat in 1973 when the Pinochet and the military overthrew Salvador Allende's marxist government. Every year there are protest marches and riots (the most dangerous being in these poorer neighborhoods). Even moreso, this year was supposed to be worse because it is the first year of a right-of-center government since the military dictatorship. Probably the kind of stuff Notre Dame warned us not to do. The things I do for life experiences!

Lastly, I found a sweet Chilean reggae group called Gondwana. They're older and don't produce music together anymore but are absolutely awesome. Probably second best reggae music I've ever heard behind the one and only Bob Marley.

That's all, on the the 4 day weekend! Friday and Monday are national holidays.