In Christina Pumariega’s ¡VOS!, the action spans two interconnected timelines of past and present. For the modern-day timeline of 2015-16, we follow Annie as she returns to her birthplace of Buenos Aires, Argentina to undergo IVF treatments. As we discover Annie’s journey, we simultaneously encounter Ana and Sofia, two unlikely friends living in turbulent 1975-76 Argentina – navigating youth, parenthood, conflicting political ideologies, and trust as the Dirty War unfolds. Read on to uncover some additional context about that time period.
Background:
In 1976, a group of Argentine military officers overthrew the government of Isabel Perón, the widow of populist president Juan Perón. The group was known as a junta, which is defined as a military group who seize power by force. The junta instated General Jorge Rafaél Videla as president and brought upon detrimental changes to Argentine society–closing the National Congress, imposing censorship, banning trade unions, and bringing state and municipal governments under military control. The military dictatorship called itself the Process of National Reorganization, and its activities became known as the Dirty War. However, the war wasn’t against outside forces; it was against the people of Argentina. More specifically, the Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored terrorism that occurred from 1976-1983 by Argentina’s military dictatorship against any suspected left-wing political opponents. During this period, security forces and death squads known as the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance hunted down anyone believed to be associated with socialism, left-wing Peronism, the Montoneros movement, or social justice as a whole. As a result, the junta targeted many college students and young professionals due to their passionate activism and involvement in leftist political organizations. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 30,000 citizens were “disappeared” – seized by the authorities and never heard from again. As many as 500 children born in prisons and concentration camps were taken from their mothers at birth and illegally adopted.” These people became known as “the missing,” or los desaparecidos. The disappeared were tortured and killed in horrific ways, such as being gunned down at the edge of enormous pits, drugged, or put on “death flights” – being thrown from airplanes into the Río de la Plata or the Atlantic Ocean. Their bodies were often disposed of in rural areas or unmarked graves. Additionally, approximately 12,000 prisoners were detained in a network of 340 secret concentration camps located throughout Argentina.
Formation of Las Madres:
With growing evidence of civil rights violations and increased nationwide paranoia in the late 1970s, The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, or Las Madres, was formed. The group was a community of women who had lost children and grandchildren to the Dirty War. Beginning in April 1977, their mission was to call urgent attention to los desaparecidos through weekly afternoon vigils in the Plaza de Mayo. They held signs, carried photos, and wore white scarves to symbolize the diapers of the lost children, which were embroidered with their names and birth dates. Annie visits the historic landmark in ¡VOS! as part of her tour of modern-day Buenos Aires, discovering a plaque to commemorate the lost children. Las Madres petitioned to be reunited with their disappeared children, and to have them returned home safely. Despite the enormous risk of protesting, the mothers wanted to hold the government accountable for its murders and other abuses committed in the Dirty War. Las Madres were the first major group to organize against the junta’s human rights violations. They were an incredibly strong force, and defied traditional expectations of women in Argentina at the time. Their actions drew worldwide attention from the press, allowing them to raise awareness of the tragedies on a global scale.
End of the Dirty War:
By the early 1980s, the junta faced increasing public opposition and economic problems. In turn, they tried to regain popularity by occupying the Falkland Islands and expanding their reach. This battle for the territory resulted in the Falklands War, where the Argentine military government was defeated by Britain. This loss caused any remaining popularity of the junta to dwindle, forcing the regime to step down and allow for free elections to occur in 1983 – ending the Dirty War. In April 1985, The Trial of the Juntas began. The trial was successful in prosecuting the crimes of the juntas, which included kidnapping, torture, forced disappearance, and murder. General Jorge Rafaél Videla was sentenced to life imprisonment, with many of his other officers receiving a range of 4-17 years. Although it has been decades, the impact of the Dirty War can still be felt across Argentina – as the tragedy of lives cut short, broken families, and the resonant impact of martial law permeates the country to this day.