This article was published in the 91短视频 WeatherVane, a student newspaper.
Carol Snell-Feikema, 91短视频 professor, led the year鈥檚 first Flash Seminar last Thursday, Sept. 18.
The seminar focused on the Chilean coup d鈥檈tat that occurred on Sept. 11, 1973 and the resulting years of tyranny and injustice under Augusto Pinochet鈥檚 rule.
Snell-Feikema explains that the idea of participating in 91短视频鈥檚 seminar program is what initially piqued her interest. However, she states that, 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 difficult to come up with a theme that mattered deeply to me.鈥�
Looking further back, Snell-Feikema notes that her exploration of Chile鈥檚 coup began simply: with a song by Chilean artist Victor Jara. The song, Manifiesto, was released prior to Jara鈥檚 abduction
and murder, and has continued to be crucial to Snell-Feikema鈥檚 comprehension of these events.
She adds, 鈥淚 am still very moved by it, even though I鈥檝e heard it so many times at this point. The fact that they killed him, and tortured him as they did, astonishes me with its brutality, its negation
of the human subject, of the human soul.鈥�
In addition to Manifiesto, Snell-Feikema incorporated other Chilean songs into her lecture. One such song is Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida, which calls out the names of several women who went missing during the time of Pinochet鈥檚 rule.
Anna Messer, a first-year who attended the lecture, states, 鈥淚 was very impressed with the song. Listening to the names of the women who were taken made it real for me.鈥�
The realness of Snell-Feikema鈥檚 lecture stems from the thousands of Chilean citizens who disappeared, as well as the fact that these events went unreported to the international world for so long. This fact contributed to Snell-Feikema鈥檚 desire to become concientized of the tragedy, a sentiment Messer echoes.
Messer notes that the lecture made her think of her own family, and that, as a Peacebuilding and Development major, the lecture has helped her to develop a sense of purpose. Messer notes, 鈥淚 feel more inclined to take action in the injustices around the world.鈥�
The major theme of Snell-Feikema鈥檚 message lies within this notion. She contends that, while there is great evil in the world, there is also good. Snell-Feikema continues with this idea, stating that people 鈥渁re capable of astonishing brutality and hatred, but they are also capable of great and astonishing beauty and bravery.鈥�
This belief wove throughout Snell-Feikema鈥檚 presentation. While she spoke about the terrors of Pinochet鈥檚 rule鈥攕uch as the bombing of the Presidential palace or the torture of Victor Jara鈥擲nell-Feikema also maintained a sense of hope that awareness may prevent similar injustices in the future.
Her example of this is simple and profound. In the years following Pinochet鈥檚 rise to power, it was the grandmothers and mothers of those missing who began to raise awareness. These women, who began simply by speaking to one another, would eventually lead protests, asking where their loved ones were.
Snell-Feikema explains that it is this courage that can lead to awareness. She adds, 鈥淚 believe we are called to hear the blood crying from the ground, and to cross the road to help those suffering from violence, injustice, poverty.鈥�
This statement is one that Messer agrees with, stating that, 鈥渋t was a transforming experience learning about the injustices of our world and how we can act against them in hopes for peace.鈥�
While there is much work to be done in the realm of human rights, Carol鈥檚 seminar is encapsulated in one idea: 鈥淟ove is stronger than hate, life is stronger than death, and God is there with us to fight for those things.鈥�
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