Videos
Silent Voices: Mothers & Victims of Argentina's “Dirty War”
Between 1976 and 1983, tens of thousands of Argentinians “disappeared” as the ruling military authorities persecuted anyone deemed as subversive to the state. Although many of the publicized targets were Marxists, guerrilla group members, and leftist intellectuals, the vast majority of the cases were never reported. Mothers and grandmothers of the disappeared began demanding answers as early as 1977, but the movement garnered international attention after the 1978 World Cup.
In Silent Voices, a digital storytelling (DST) project completed in May 2010 at George Mason University with Prof. Kelly Schrum, video interviews bring to light the plight of these mothers and the rationale many ex-officers still possess in carrying out difficult orders.
Silent Voices from Rwany Sibaja on Vimeo.
“The Hand of God” goal: England vs. Argentina in the 1986 World Cup Semifinal
Four years after Argentina lost its war against Great Britain over the Falkland (or Malvinas) War, the two nations met in a high-stakes match that would determine which country would vie for its second-ever World Cup trophy. Both teams dismissed the political implications of the match, but no one doubted that tensions would run high. Diego Maradona, the Argentinian icon whose debut in the World Cup in 1982 ended with an ugly red card-for kicking an opponent in the stomach, now saw a chance to revalidate his career.
Maradona's first goal resulted from a handball, illegal in soccer, that the referees failed to see. Cameras, however, did not lie and many questions after the match surrounded this controversial goal. Maradona refused at the time to admit his illegal play, instead crediting the “hand of God” and his own head for the goal. What many consider to be a blatant disregard for the rules of the game, is often regarded as the trickery of a “pibe”: the crafty player who hones his skills in the streets.
Maradona's Second Goal: a measure of retribution?
While Maradona's first goal remains controversial to this day, his second goal is considered to be one of the greatest in the history of soccer. For Maradona and the Argentinian fans, this goal validated the greatness of the national team and its icon. Some English fans, admit, that over the years much focus has centered on the first illegitimate goal to make England forget about the second goal.
