Sing it Sister!

I saw a movie a few days ago called "La Dignidad", a documentary about the largely unknown level of distitute poverty in Argentina, and the peoples' resistance to all kinds of repression, peaking around the December 19-20, 2001 economic crisis. The group profiled that grabbed a hold of my attention and emotions the most, was the Agrarian Women's Movement, who use the concept of discursive hegemonic interruption effectively and as primary tool to achieve their political goals. What puts these women on the top of my "Awesome List", is that the only weapon they have is their voices! These women are fighting to keep their land (actually it belongs to the men in their families) from being expropriated by the state, because of unfair debt that they are not able to pay off for various, valid reasons. The government is taking these plots of land and auctioning them off to the highest bidder, usually large corporations. These women will gather at the auction just as bidding opens, and sing the national anthem at the top of their lungs so that the auction cannot continue, leading to their arrests and being charged. Usually, in court, these women are able to prove the unlawfulness of the government's actions and are able to keep their land, at least for a while.

These women and their families have nothing except for their land. When it is threatened to be taken away, as one women states "all they have is their national anthem" to protect them, and they use that resource effectively for the purpose of provisional resistance to the economic base of elitist Argentina. The Agrarian Women's Movement of Argentina is another shining example in history of collective interruptive action performed by women that has the potential to whack us automotons over our heads and gain a little consiousness. Just as the march to Versailles in 1789, and the strike for "bread and peace" in Russia in 1917 were great initiations by women to great change, so is the Agrarian Women's Movement. However, unlike previous events, the one in Argentina keeps having to be acted out over and over and over again. Is this because we live in a "post-modern" world, where as Kipnis would say, everything is continually being coopted into the dominant system, making resistance inherently provisional? Well, it seems so. Maybe because of the commodification of communications, these moment cannot break through the neutralizing acceleration of information being thrown around. There sure is a lot to compete with nowadays when it comes to repression, corruption, and poverty issues; and at the same time, there is a feeling of distance from this struggle by the rest of the world. Why? is it because they look different, or speak a different language? Or is it that their story just doesn't have enough shock effect? I have read about this movement before, but not until I watched a well made documentary did I become emotional and feel connected to their struggle. (Agh! I can't decide if that makes me a mindless subject of the culture industry, or one able to utilize an art medium that can articulate moments of resistance within the dominant discourse.)

Nevertheless, I think this movement is an important one in the history of Argentina, women's history, and that of the common worker who is feeling the effects of capitalist globalization. I think it can take its provisional moments and accomplish important things, but who knows if this uneven development will ever come to fruition, to a radically changed system. What I have taken away from this reflection, is that political culture here definitely has a thing or two to learn from our sisters down south.