What remains for me from September 11, 1973, in Chile, which I was forced to witness live?

(Rodrigo Contrera, journalist, bachelor in Philosophy)

Allende was overthrown that day, but the mysteries remain. Are some events truly inevitable? This September 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the first September 11 in contemporary history - that of Chile, when President Allende was overthrown by a military coup, initiating one of the bloodiest dictatorships in Latin America - and perhaps one of the most emblematic in the world. I was there. Just a few blocks from President Allende's house, on Tomás Moro street, near Las Condes, where my family lived. I heard the Hawker Hunter jets crossing the city to bomb La Moneda (the presidential palace) and the A-37 training aircraft, to literally destroy the president's home.

My mother placed mattresses against the windows to prevent them from shattering due to the bomb blasts, and I removed them to get a better view. An uncle handed a gun to my father, Guilherme, I heard machine guns firing, targeting the "communists" (members or sympathizers of the Unidad Popular, the president's party), and on that day alone 2,000 people died on the streets and in homes, their bodies thrown into the Mapocho River, which ran red. My involvement didn't stop there. I returned as a journalism student in 1988 for the 'No' referendum, was persecuted (I was part of a Human Rights Caravan that was stopped), and later worked on several projects about the subsequent period, when Pinochet placed the country under his imperial power, literally eradicating at least one generation, which included some of my relatives.

I never clearly understood what had happened. I realized there was pent-up anger in many, including my family. I understood that the time was not right to establish new economic justice criteria for the impoverished classes. I recognized that the United States had intervened to overthrow Allende (who knew what was coming). I understood that society was no longer willing to engage in dialogue - after trying for so many years. I realized Pinochet initially took control almost reluctantly. And I understood why certain impoverished members of the middle class always preferred him over any other more moderate leader (including some of my relatives who thought and acted this way). But was it necessary? I still don't know. I have deeply studied the subject, yet I remain uncertain. Some historical lessons remain as enigmatic as the Sphinx.

I wrote a play partly due to the coup - as well as the American September 11, 2001. The coup was the first event that triggered my anxiety, my distrust of society, and subsequent signs of madness - as I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008 (from which I have since recovered). The September 11, 1973, event is unforgettable, marking a watershed for those who still want to believe in representative democracy based on sometimes questionable or insufficient statistics for authoritarian individuals. I have lived in Brazil since 1977, becoming a citizen in 1992, yet the distrust in dialogue remains. When I see people acting arrogantly or pointing fingers, it reminds me of September 11 (and the preceding months, confirmed in various films, among them 'The Battle of Chile' by Patricio Guzmán).

I studied Philosophy at the University of S?o Paulo (Brazil), focusing on Political Philosophy. I read the classics, including Social Sciences, read numerous reconstructions (of both the Chilean and Brazilian dictatorships and pre-dictatorships), met many from all walks of life, understood the step by step of each historical situation, revisited Chile in 2007, saw the damage the dictatorship had inflicted on my relatives and their view of society, followed democratic governments from afar (always skeptically), and even the 2019 protests, yet I've never come close to answering the simple question: was the dictatorship after the 1973 coup truly necessary, especially in such a democratically traditioned country? I have never found an answer. Not even when exploring more distant narratives, such as the Pacific War (against Peru and Bolivia) or the lamentable episodes like the Santa María de Iquique school massacre (where workers were killed for demanding better working conditions). I was never convinced whether the September 11, 1973, was a tragedy waiting to happen.

My nuclear family (parents and siblings) has always been more or less center-right (my still-living mother remains so). My siblings, over time, shifted to center-left. I met the Brazilian left (Lula before his first term) personally. Yet, my beliefs didn't shift. I know I'm authoritarian because circumstances have shown me how the world operates in practice. But I'm a democrat, having suffered so much from multiple dictatorships. However, I'm also skeptical, a skepticism tracing back to when the then-commander of the Chilean Air Force, Leigh, was discarded by Pinochet, who still believed in dialogue even with his peers. In other words, I've concluded that dialogue in Latin America is often restricted to those with similar views. Think differently? You're a target. I know it's like this here. It shouldn't be, but it is.

Is our fate regrettable? I can't even affirm that. Perhaps Latin America is doomed to traumatic restarts, much like certain couples who only manage to pick up the pieces when they mutually self-destruct. To me, the September 11, 1973, in Chile, seems like a monster, akin to Goya's Saturn, devouring its own children, who in time might challenge or even overthrow its reign.

(Rodrigo Contrera)"

Translated by ChatGPT

Sent to a magazine.