Villa Grimaldi

I took a trip out to Peñalolen a couple of days ago to check out a new part of the city and in particular El Parque de la Paz, previously known as Villa Grimaldi. This was the principal detention centre in Santiago under the military dictatorship but is today a memorial to the 204 victims who were killed or 'disappeared' here and the thousands more who were tortured.

Villa Grimaldi was originally a large property belonging to a wealthy family whose daughter was arrested following the coup and subsequently released after the family handed the property over to the military. It was then converted into a brutal centre of interrogation and torture. A huge number of people passed through its gates to face the brutality of the regime. The majority of the buildings were torn down in an attempt to destroy evidence of the terrible cruelty that had taken place there. Here is a quote from a survivor, taken from the Rettig Commision report in 1991 that investigated the crimes of the dictatorship:

'The day begins with a breakfast of boiling tea in a small metal container and half a bread. Lunch is at midday, soup with potato skins floating around in it and pieces of carrots. Sometimes we eat the agents' leftovers, with olive pits, bits of fish and fishbones mixed in with it. Almost impossible to swallow. The screams and moans take your appetite away. But we're forced to do it. Meanwhile, they never stop calling people to the "parrilla" (the "grill" torture method), to endless interrogations... It is a world of contrasts. Guards play the guitar to the sound of the wailing, while in a corner, lying on the floor, Manuel Diaz, alias "El Tano" is dying, little by little...'

names of victims at Villa Grimaldi

So I took the bus through the peaceful suburbs of La Reina and Peñalolen to this unassuming and peaceful corner of the city at the foot of the mountains, a pretty part of Santiago that bears no sign of the suffering and brutality that once occurred here. Upon arrival, it is difficult to associate the tranquility and even charm of Villa Grimaldi with its past horrors. On a warm and sunny winter's afternoon, with the beautiful snow-capped Santiago cordillera looming over, I walked through the gates and walked around the estate. There is a swimming pool, empty, and a fountain, turned off. In the middle of the large courtyard that constitutes the villa, there is a stunning tree, it's base spread in a huge ring with a great number of trunks leading off in different directions. The other trees, the names of which I don't know, are full of small bright green parrots making an absolute racket. I wondered if it was like this back then, and if so, would the fresh air, imposing mountain, and squawks of the birds acted as a source of hope for the prisoners or would it have heightened their despair, having such natural beauty so close but unreachable.

entrance to Villa Grimaldi

El Parque de la Paz is smaller than I was expecting but it has maintained those parts that weren't demolished by the military rulers. There are signs that mark the sites of the cells, and a large memorial at the far end covered in the names of the disappeared. An outdoor auditorium fills a large part of the courtyard, as these days lectures, workshops and other public events are held here, another step in the rehabilitation of Chile from its darkest days. 

I didn't stay for a very long time as it is not a large place and the small museum part was closed. But it was a powerful reminder of the system of terror and oppression that was in place here in Chile within living memory. It is certainly an important place to visit in order to learn more about those times.


Here's the website: http://www.villagrimaldi.cl/


To get to Villa Grimaldi, take buses 513 or DO9 from Plaza Egaña metro station.

Ganja Bonanza

182 marijuana plants found at General Pinochet's ex-summer holiday home, a grand estate at Los Boldos? This place was supposedly an extravagant resort-style retreat in the countryside, laden with plush luxuries, but these days has fallen into a sorry state of disrepair, as is if nobody wants to claim it for shame that such a bloody murderer was able to see out his final days bathing in the warm sun and eating fruit from his orchard.

The dictator's ashes were spread here and it seems to me there's a kind of sweet irony in the fact that the very same land has since producing copious amounts of herb. Can't imagine he'd be too pleased if he knew that.

Anyway, I reckon the government should take this place over and convert it into an activities centre for disadvantaged kids from Santiago. They won't of course but it'd be a fine image of the supposed new Chile.

Here's the link to The Guardian's article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/07/chile-pinochet?INTCMP=SRCH

The Clan

Tucked away in the muralled backstreets of Bellavista lies Bar Clan, hidden away but a good venue to catch some great local live music, from folk to electro to rock to cumbia to hip hop. The name is short for Clandestino and, as such, there is no sign to mark the place although the music and queue is usually a pretty good sign that it's there. But still, you`ll need to have a rough idea of the address to find it so head for Bombero Nuñez 363.

The place is decked out in some pretty hippy strokes, lumescent designs on the walls and a mellow vibe in the darkness. There's lots of nice little alcoves to sit in and cosy up with whoever and a tree grows from the bar out the back which is a terrace in summer and enclosed in winter. There's a friendly ambience and it's not as much of a piss-up as in Onaciu or the meat market that is Bar Constitución, meaning you can take your girlfriend or date and stilll go to the bathroom reasonably confident that you won't return to a ring of slavering ogres surrounding her.

The entrance takes you into the main bar, where the stage is at, and there's another area at the back which is more chilled out (with the aforementioned tree). It's a pleasant enough layout but the biggest problem with Bar Clan is the location of the stage. The venue is spread of the two rooms in a long rectangle shape. Unfortunately the stage is directly in front of the main bar, meaning that as soon as there are any decent number of people there, the whole thing gets bottlenecked. There's space to the sides but they really ought to have a look at rearranging the place so as to maximise the space. There's little room to dance, and bearing in mind this is Latin America and not the UK, that's a big thing. It's still a good venue although I can't help thinking a financial splurge on changing things around would make it one of the main places in the area.

But the standard of most of the musicians makes up for that more or less and gives a good mix of musical styles. In Bellavista it's probably the most diverse venue and is always worth a gamble if there's not much going on and you're after some tunes. Also, the streets outside are covered in hippy murals and graffiti pieces that give the neighbourhood a rather charming bohemian sheen, in a decrepid and dog shit smeared kind of way.

This week, they've got some experimental hip hop fusion (interesing!), punk surf rock (obviously) and a night of Afro-Latinamerican beats (nice). Here's the link to Bar Clan: www.elclan.cl

Year of The Boomerang

The demo passes along Alameda in front of the presidential palace La Moneda

The biggest demonstration since the end of the dictatorship took place yesterday, with tens of thousands of people, the majority school and university students, taking over the city to march against the education reforms that the Piñera administration is planning to implement. I turned up at Plaza Italia at 10.30 in the morning and wandered around the crowds of schoolkids armed with drums, banners and horns, some in costume, some in facepaint, the damp, cold air thick with the heavy essence of anticipation and carnival noise. Spirits were high, a jubilant atmosphere had taken hold as the collective energy of the masses surged all around.

We were there about an hour before the march began and I managed to get a perch on the partition that divides La Alameda to improve the view. For a good forty minutes vast crowds streamed by on both sides and hundreds of colourful banners dominated the view. It made its way all the way down to the centre and was a total triumph for all involved. Whether this kind of massive show of public dissent will have any affect over the goverment's policy remains to be seen.

I've written a fair bit about the spirit of protest in Chile so this time let's look at the media take on things. Well, unsurprisingly, the tiny spasms of violence that occurred between police and protesters were swiftly picked up on by the mainstream media. In spite of Chile bearing witness to one of the proudest and strongest displays of public solidarity in its history, many networks felt it necessary to focus on the negative. Like in the UK, most TV channels operate as government tools of propaganda and seek to undermine those that oppose and threaten the status quo of the system. Therefore a huge and utterly inspiring demonstration of national fellowship is presented in a negative light wherever possible. It's not surprising but it highlights the bullshit that the media spews from its biased rectum.

Another thing was the dispute over how many souls had turned out to express their contempt for the government's plans to maintain the norm that sees Chile as one of the world's most economically divided countries. Obviously, one route out of this is education which doesn't suit the ruling classes. It was reported that 80,000 attended the protest but other organisations put it at double that number. When you're in such a throng it's virtually impossible to make a reliable estimate of numbers but you can at least get an idea of the scale of things and this was absolutely immense. It is in the authorities interests to downplay the size of things and portray the protesters as in a minority.

The government is getting nervous about the tsunami of dissent and opposition that has been unleashed. This is clear from the announcement made that no more demonstrations will be permitted along La Alameda, Santiago's principal thoroughfare that cuts through the heart of the city and passes La Moneda. It will be interesting to see what the reaction will be of los carabineros should crowds still mass there in order to peacefully observe their right to protest. The military police force is not renowned for its tolerance of such things and it could be that we will once again see peaceful protesters being teargassed, as seen in the documentary Imagenes de una Dictadura, and would support the opinion that rather than a democracy, Chilean society is today living in a post-dictatorship.

Here's a link to the Facebook page of Movimiento Surda, featuring a marvellous gallery of images from a monumental day:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150247400243872.346843.51829283871

Images of a Dictatorship

As part of the Fidocs documentary festival last week I saw this incredibly heart-moving and utterly mesmerising film about the dictatorship entitled Imagenes de una Dictadura, directed by Patricio Henríquez. The film is made up entirely of footage shot during the period, without any kind of narration, and is without doubt one of the most powerful things I've seen in a very long time.

The images are almost unwatchable at times, and leave the viewer feeling helpless, angry, and stunned and the sheer brutality of the military against its own people. Old women are soaked with high-power water cannon for the crime of coming together to demand information about their disappeared children. Soldiers rush peaceful crowds and batter defenceless men and women. Funeral processions for those killed by the authorities are teargassed after intense military provocation causes disturbances.

The film is shocking but it also highlights the strength of the Chilean people, not through any editing tricks or construed narrative, but through simply recording events as they took place. This was a truly turbulent time yet the people maintained their dignity and didn't shy away from the task at hand. Of course, the fear that the dictatorship instilled in the population was deep and provided a strong deterrent from militancy or public dissent. But, as this film shows, there was a courageous strength that drove the Chilean people onwards to liberty and a new dawn. It is a truly remarkable piece of film-making.

I saw Imagenes de una Dictadura down at the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights - http://www.museodelamemoria.cl/), which opened last year and provides a chilling yet fascinating look at Chile during the years 1973-1990. Afterwards I was lucky enough to have a chat with Raúl Cuevas, who filmed most of the images seen in the documentary and has worked freelance for the BBC and ITN back in the UK for many years. He had a genuine interest in my life in Chile, which was nice.

Anyway, here's the film which is on Youtube in its entirety although you have to follow the links to the next part. I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who wants to understand more about what was allowed to happen here.

Rebels with a cause

Great vibes in Parque Forestal a few days ago as thousands of school and university students continued their campaign against education fees with a massive march through the city centre. I caught the march outside Belles Artes Museum and then continued through the park as a carnival atmosphere took hold. Banging drums, waving banners, chanting, dancing and using the only weapons they have, their voices, the youth of Santiago made itself heard. There were many adults as well on the march but really this belongs to the kids and they are certainly going to make themselves heard.

The demonstration that rolled through the park on its way to La Moneda seemed to go on forever as most schools in Santiago affected by the new government proposals had taken the day off in order to protest. Every time I looked back, the river of people stretched all the way to the main road as more and more students came into view, waving all kinds of protest material from massive banners that had obviously been painstakingly created to scraps of paper with anti-government slogans.

I walked with them in spite of being unaffected myself by the proposed changes. Having missed the protests in the UK against the elitist reformation of the education system, I was keen to show my solidarity here. It was a strong moment of people coming together, made stronger still by the tender ages of the majority of the demonstrators. The air was filled with passionate cries of the youth and highly-charged beats from the legions of drummers who energised the masses.

I didn't make it down to La Moneda as I'm a busy man but unsurprisingly it kicked off with a certain section of people and los Carabineros but not before an absolutely sensational re-enactment of Thriller, involving hundreds of Chilean students. I'd seen loads of these guys dressed up as zombies in the park but had been unaware of their intentions, assuming instead that it was some sort of 'look the government is turning us into the living dead'-type thing. Shit, had I known that downtown Santiago was going to witness such a spectacle I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Here it is:

This march last Thursday followed on from a march the previous Thursday (which I missed due to being in the south) and there is another scheduled for this coming Thursday. The spirit of public dissent is massively alive in this country. I put it down to the years of dictatorship oppression that prohibited large-scale manifestations and suppressed the masses. The silver lining of that dark period is the legacy of self-expression and public solidarity that was born from its shadows.

Loreto

The main drag of Bellavista is Pino Nono (if you're under twenty and like reggaeton) of Calle Constitución (if you're not). This is where most of the bars and restaurants are and, as a result, it's where most newcomers to Santiago head for a drink. Pio Nono is packed out with students, tourists and drunks drinking in the street or in the many gaudy bars that blast out heavy metal or cheesy latin beats while hippies sell all kinds of trinkets along the pavement. Parallel is Constitución which has some very nice restaurants and decent bars and is more upmarket. Anyway, everyone knows about this area and it's hardly Santiago Underground so let's move on.

My reason for bringing this up is that, while this is the well-known part of Bellavista, the back streets are far more interesting and make up one of the true eclectic barrios of the city. A mixture of grand old villas, ramshackle warehouses, colourful terraces and some decent bars and restaurants tucked away, the area is decorated in a thick coat of street art, both good and bad, that further characterises the place and gives it a warm charm. During the day that is, at night it can be a bit sketchy with drunken wankers.

One of the main streets in this part of Bellavista is Loreto, which has a bunch of stuff to check out. If you cross the bridge near Belles Artes Museum you arrive at the bottom of Loreto which cuts and arches through Bellavista and ends up near the foot of San Cristobal. There are interesting pieces of graffiti all along the street (some pretty awful ones as well) and the mix of buildings, old and new, grand and humble, swanky and dilapidated, give it a nice varied flavour.

As far as places to go for something to eat or drink go, the first place of any note that you pass heading from the river is Toro, a Spanish-style resto-bar that is apparently down with the media celebrity crowd (I just have friends' words to vouch for that as I don't really recognise these people) and was very nice the only time I ate there, when I had a very good cerviche. I've been there just for a drink a few times as well and I like it's scruffy low-key vibe.

On the bend is the Fonda Permanente, which is this raucous joint that specialises in Cumbia and Pachanga parties. They have lots of live bands who create a wild and impassioned atmosphere which is much closer in spirit to Latin American traditions than other bars and venues round here but is admittedly not always to everyone's taste.

A bit further along, there are two of Bellavista's main late night venues, Onaciu and Loreto. Onaciu is in this old house and gets packed out at about 2am, has live bands earlier in the night, and DJs who seem to always play exactly the same songs (popular rock and electro mainly : it's difficult to go out in Bellavista without hearing Girls and Boys by Blur at least once over the course of the night). Anyway, it's an Ok place of you like going out till late and the building is pretty cool in its rickety old way.

Opposite is Loreto, which is cooler and seems like more of a club than a bar. A lot of hipsters hang out but again there's nothing particularly special other than live bands, DJs who at least mix it up a bit more than Onaciu but prices are similar. I've usually had a few drinks by the time I arrive at one of these places so it doesn't really bother me which I go to. It depends on who I'm with really.

There's also an 'after' (late night not-entirely-legal drinking venue) just before you reach the bend in the road which if you're pissed and want to keep going until seven or eight in the morning gives you an option although it's not always open. It's in this crappy and dirty old warehouse place with filthy toilets but by this stage of the night it's unlikely that'll bother you. Women generally get in free and blokes pay although that should come with a 'cover' (drink). It can be a shit place or an Ok place to keep drinking depending on various factors: how drunk you are, how drunk the other people are, if you're with mates or girlfriend and so on. At least it's somewhere to go but don't expect to do much the next day.

So you get to end of Calle Loreto and it hits the bottom of San Cristobal on another typical Bellavista street, more shabby but colourful buildings, more street art, more grand old mansions. So there you go. At night it's a more tucked away but very popular and more local place to go out, and by day it makes an interesting neck of the woods to have a stroll around. There's a nice sense of charm, in a run-down sort of way.

I also met this cat on my travels researching this blog. It seemed to live in this corner shop and went by the imaginative name of Kitty. It had an incredible face and was very friendly, climbing up on me as soon as I showed it just a bit of attention. The floozy.