A date that’s now been etched into Chilean history, the October 18, 2019 protests breakout marks the origin of what I personally refer to as the “dignity movement”, since dignity has become a keyword in the collective discourse. From that point on, massive protests and their corresponding violent suppresion by State agents have been daily occurrences. The reasons to protest are too many, but they all boil down to the realization that the overarching system of our society favors the economic interests of a small privileged group, while rights, social security and environment protection take the back seat. Given that the problem is deep-rooted and systemic, the central demand became the formulation of a new and democratic constitution, drafted to replace the one written during Pinochet’s dictatorship. In just a few days the referendum that decides the future for this constituent process will be held.
I have been involved in the movement from the early days in various ways. First I participated in the Ñuñoa Square protests, and later moved to the more central Italia Square—or Dignity Square as it is better known now by the protesters.
After that I started joining a territorial assembly that meets close to where I live. I have since largely parted ways with that group, however the time I was involved brought me to contribute to the organization of diverse activities beyond just protests, such as talks (both off and online), campaigns, and music and theater performances.
I tried contributing from my existing abilities. In this line, I whipped up logos, flyer designs for screenings, music and other kinds of events, and informative graphics to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as doing some basic web design and data management. At other times, I was forced to improvise, such as when I acted as coordinator the day of that music event, which was actually a pretty big endeavor for the four territorial organizations involved. It featured three music acts, including the popular Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, who were gracious enough to offer their music for free.
The year brought for me many opportunities to learn, as much from the activities I partook in as from all the diverse people I was lucky enough to meet. This month marks both a year from the beginning of this movement and the celebration of the referendum for a new constitution, and with Spring thawing the spirits that an untimely pandemic had cooled off, the Chilean people are finding ever more ways to fight for their rights and participate in what can increasingly be called an actual “democracy”.
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